While the team is away
by BananaKingCharlie
Summary: Kate and Gibbs take advantage of certain team members absences...definetly Kibbs...mostly fluff, but a rescue and a mystery will develop in the next few chapters! Rated T for safety, and possibly later chapters!
1. All Alone

**Author's Note: I don't own any of this...I know that Kate is dead, but I thought a Kate/Gibbs fluff piece would be nice. This story is mostly fluff, and appearances by the whole team!!! A rescue will take place in a later chapter, creating just a bit of drama! Enjoy!!! **

She tilted her head slightly, biting her lower lip to avoid the smile that she knew would come. The same thought ran through her mind.

"_How does he know?" _ She asked herself for the millionth time. It was an extra-large this morning, and Kate was thankful, she hadn't gotten much rest the night before.

She shook her head, and pretended to concentrate on the work in front of her. If she didn't concentrate, everybody else would notice. That was something she just couldn't take for granted, especially today.

The conversation from the day before had replayed in her mind a thousand times already.

"_Who is he?" Tony had asked, almost glaringly._

" _A Rear Admiral." Kate replied quickly as she and Tony knelt over the body._

"_No, not him...the other one." Tony pressed._

"_What other one? This isn't a double is it?" Kate huffed as she snapped a photo._

"_The other man in your life." Tony said, and Kate suddenly realized the glint in his eyes._

_It wasn't jealousy, anger, lust, it wasn't even mischief. It was protectiveness. He wasn't curious, he was being cautious. Kate was right. He was like a brother to her. A very perverted brother, but a brother nonetheless._

"_Nobody special." Kate said quickly, dismissing the inquiry._

"_Your eyes say otherwise...trust me, I know that look." Tony teased._

"_What look?" Gibbs had asked as he had snuck up behind his team members._

"_The one Kate gets right after she's been..." Tony stopped short as Kate's hand firmly collided with the back of his head._

"_After she's been what?" Gibbs pressed, looking at Tony curiously._

"_After she's been...ummm well rested. Kate was just explaining to me that she's thankful that last night was an early night, her rest and relaxation came in handy...this place is a mess!" Tony said, desperately trying to save himself, doubting that his boss would buy the story._

"_It is...so DiNozzo, stop running your mouth, start bagging and tagging." Gibbs said quickly._

"_Nothing beats a trashy book and a good bubble bath." Kate said just loud enough for Gibbs to hear, hoping it would add to the plausibility of Tony's quick lie._

"Earth to Kate!" DiNozzo yelled as he waved his hand in front of Kate's computer screen.

Kate's eyes were completely glazed over, and she seemed engrossed in the status report she had been typing.

"It can't be that enthralling." Tony teased.

"It isn't, but I'm trying to think, and that always takes effort." Kate replied sharply.

"I'm sure." Tony quipped back.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs barked, interrupting the conversation between the two younger agents.

"Yeah boss?" DiNozzo yelled as he whirled around.

"You and Kate...go check up on this lead." Gibbs said as he handed DiNozzo a folder.

"I'm driving!" Kate yelled. She hated Tony's driving, and considered it a miracle that she was still alive.

"Fine." Tony huffed as he headed towards the elevator with Kate following him, her coffee cup in one hand, and car keys in the other.

"So...who is he? This Mr. Special?" Tony asked as soon as he and Kate were on the freeway.

"Tony! There is nobody...and besides, even if there were, it's personal." Kate said with exasperation as she changed lanes.

"Kate, I wasn't born yesterday." Tony said with a grin.

"He is special." Kate said with a slight huff.

"Good...I'm glad for you." Tony said.

"When can I meet him?" Tony added quickly.

"DiNozzo!" Kate yelled as she turned onto an exit ramp.

"Kate...I'm just worried that's all...how can I say this? I know it's personal. I get that. But I also know that you've broken off an engagement, mostly because he was sleeping with your best friend. I also know that things didn't work out so well with my fraternity brother...Steve. I'm just trying to look out for you, in a brotherly sort of way." DiNozzo explained.

"I appreciate that Tony, really I do, seeing as how my three brothers are all back at home in Indiana. Just keep in mind that the last guy I re-arranged my life for is lucky he can still walk." Kate said as she shifted the car into park.

"Noted." DiNozzo said as he grabbed the folder and headed up the walkway, followed by Kate.

Forty-five minutes later Kate and Tony got back into their car, this time Kate let Tony drive back to the office.

"Nothing." Kate said blandly as she picked her extra-large latte up out of the cup holder.

"Nada." Tony echoed.

"Gibbs is going to be so pissed...the only good lead just dried up." Kate said as she sipped her drink that was now cool enough to finally drink.

"Yeah." Tony said as they headed back towards the Navy Yard.

Kate and Tony headed back upstairs. Kate finished her latte just as the elevator doors opened up. Kate was throwing the cup in the trash when she stopped. It surprised her that she hadn't noticed it before, but it was so tiny. A small red heart, drawn on in felt-tip marker, on the very edge of the coffee cup, just under the lid. Kate smiled to herself and tossed the cup in the trash as she went back to her desk.

"Well boss, not much to go on." Tony said as he braced himself for a dirty look from his boss.

"What do you mean not much to go on?" Gibbs grunted, barely looking up from his computer.

Kate listened to the two men banter for a few minutes until she stood up and headed to the elevators.

"Where are you going Agent Todd?" Gibbs yelled.

"To see if Ducky actually has something _useful _to say." Kate retorted.

"I need to see him too." Gibbs said as he stood up and followed Kate to the elevators.

The second the doors shut Gibbs flipped the power off and the elevator jerked to a halt.

"Not at work!" Kate hissed in a loud whisper as Gibbs leaned in to kiss her.

Kate jerked back just in time to avoid his kiss.

"Oh come on...give me something...anything...just a morsel." Gibbs begged.

The current case was eating them alive, and he and Kate had very little alone time lately.

"That was the best damn latte I've ever had." Kate whispered in Jethro's ear.

"You found it?" Gibbs asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I find everything." Kate said as she dropped the file folder that was in her hand, and bent over slowly to pick it up, affording Gibbs a very nice view.

"Oh yeah...you found it." Gibbs whispered as he flicked the power back on.

Kate stood up right and re-arranged the papers into the file folder.

"What are we doing down here?" Gibbs asked as the elevator doors opened.

"Seeing if Ducky has any useful information." Kate said softly.

Jethro stood there silently, realizing the lights in autopsy were dimmed. He and Kate entered slowly, not sure of what was going on.

"He's not here." Kate whispered as she cleared the lab.

"His phone is forwarded." Jethro said as he noticed the flashing light on the keypad.

"Really?" Kate said with a raised eyebrow.

"What's today's date?" Jethro asked absentmindedly.

"Twenty-seventh." Kate replied quickly.

"Oh yeah...I knew it...I just forgot that I knew it." Gibbs said as he pressed Kate against Ducky's desk.

"Knew what?" Kate asked as she grinned up at Jethro and pressed up against him.

"He's at his conference thing." Jethro said knowingly.

"Yeah...it's that time of year." Kate said as she leaned in and kissed Jethro.

"Kate...not here....not now, it's just not right." Gibbs panted as he ended the embrace.

"But it's been so long." Kate said with a whimper.

"I know." Gibbs said as he yanked Kate out of autopsy by the hand, before they could go any further.

"If not here...then where?" Gibbs asked as the couple entered the elevator.

Kate retrieved her cell phone from her pocket, dialed Abby's number and held the phone up to Jethro's ear.

"_Hi, it's Abby, and you've probably guessed by now I'm not here. I'm actually doing a guest lecture series this week at Georgetown University. If you really love me, you'll probably sit in for a day. If you really don't love me, you probably won't show up at all. But just remember, I can boil your insides without leaving any evidence behind...and I have to come back eventually because ballistics tests don't run themselves...have a nice day."_ Abby's gravely voice said in a happy tone as Gibbs smirked at the snide message Abby had left behind.

"Look what I'm in charge of." Kate said as she retrieved a silver key from her pocket.

"No way...." Gibbs said in awe...he knew exactly what door that key unlocked.

"Yes way." Kate said with a smile as the doors opened up, and he and Kate made their way to Abby's unoccupied lab.


	2. Elevators and Accidents

**Author's Note: My apologies for the wait between updates...it seems that life gets crazy all at once! I appreciate the kind reviews, and I hope everybody enjoys Chapter Two. Also, I don't own NCIS**

Kate Todd grinned as she glanced around the lab one last time.

"Hurry up!" Gibbs whispered impatiently, concerned that the team would get suspicious.

Kate locked the door and followed Gibbs to the elevator.

"Good?" Kate asked as the doors closed.

"Better than good." Gibbs whispered.

A faint blush hit Kate's cheeks, she couldn't believe what she had just done, to be more precise she couldn't believe what _they_ had just done. Together, in Abby's unoccupied lab. The old adage was true, it did take two, and Kate was very grateful for that.

"I mean us...you know, zippers, buttons, sex hair?" Kate said as she glanced Gibbs up and down to make sure he didn't look astray.

As usual Gibbs was perfectly put together. Kate was wondering how he had managed to keep his shirt tucked in, and if he hadn't she didn't understand how he had put himself back in order so quickly.

"You're good." Gibbs said as the elevator doors opened up.

"Hey boss!" Tony DiNozzo yelled as he ran down the blue carpeted stairs, with McGee trailing behind him.

"Yeah?" Gibbs grumbled, it wasn't unusual for him to grumble but he wished that he could just take Kate home right now, and spend some time alone with her.

"We got a lead." McGee said as he held up a folder.

"I got a lead." Tony corrected.

"It was a joint effort." McGee shot back.

"Whatever...just spit it out." Gibbs demanded as the team assembled in the bullpen.

Kate was silently grateful that McGee and Tony hadn't noticed the prolonged absences. On any given day it wouldn't have been an issue, but with Abby and Ducky gone it was suspicious to say the least.

"Grab your gear." Kate heard Gibbs say, she was daydreaming and she hadn't heard the whole story that explained the details of the lead. It was okay, because McGee would fill her in on the way.

***SEVEN HOURS LATER***

"I have to give you two credit...that was some lead." Kate said as she yawned loudly, not even trying to conceal her exhaustion.

"Damn straight." DiNozzo said as he winced and cradled his head in his hands as the elevator continued to move upwards.

"DiNozzo, get that looked at." Gibbs said as he eyed Tony. A nasty bruise enveloped most of Tony's left eye, and part of his forehead.

"I'm good boss." DiNozzo said quickly.

"Wasn't optional." Gibbs reminded Tony.

"I'll find somebody on the Navy Yard to look at it, we do have a twenty-four hour infirmary." Tony said as they all headed back to their respective desks.

"Good idea Tony...that was quite the hit you took." McGee added.

"Reports can wait until morning. Everybody go home and get some rest. Be here by eleven tomorrow." Gibbs said as he grabbed his car keys out of a desk drawer and began shutting down his computer.

"Thanks boss!" McGee and Tony chorused as they grabbed their car keys, took off their gear and headed for home.

Kate hung back and waited. She knew he wanted to say something.

"Agent Todd, let me walk you to your car." Gibbs said with a smile as Kate pulled a fleece sweater on over her head.

"Thanks." Kate said sweetly as she grabbed her purse and the duo headed for the elevator.

"Yours or mine?" Kate asked as she stood next to Jethro.

"Mine." Gibbs said quickly, he wanted nothing more than his own bed, especially tonight.

"You know......if you need to talk." Kate said in a kind voice.

"I know just where to find you." Gibbs said quietly as the elevator doors opened and they walked through the lobby together.

"Good." Kate said taking comfort in Jethro's quiet reassurance.

"See ya!" Kate said happily as she got into her car.

Gibbs followed her out of the Navy Yard and through the city. He was so excited to be going home, all he wanted now was a quick shower and an even quicker dinner before cuddling up with Kate.

The events of the day replayed in Jethro's mind and Kate's words hung in his ears.

"It was justified." Gibbs convinced himself.

"You always say that." A nagging voice in his mind countered.

"Because it's true." Gibbs said aloud, to nobody in particular. He was alone in his car.

It was a justified kill, and Jethro knew it. The lead that McGee and Tony had unearthed had turned from a simple interview to a tense standoff that had lasted hours. Gibbs would be doing paperwork for three days just to explain the whole situation.

"So how many does he make?" The nagging voice returned.

Jethro shuddered at the thought. He refused to think of it like that. Even the psychiatrist had told him it was best not to keep track. It just wasn't right. Gibbs hated seeing the psychiatrist, but it was mandatory. He'd never admit it but it did make him feel better. Gibbs rarely doubted himself, but it was reassuring to hear somebody else agree that any killing had been justified for the safety of others.

"He was only twenty-three...what made him snap like that?" The voice asked.

Gibbs tried to shift his thoughts, but he couldn't. He decided to focus on the car in front of him. The little red sedan, cute but practical, much like the driver. He was so happy to be able to spend the night with Kate.

"_If you need to talk..._" Kate's words echoed in Jethro's mind.

Jethro smiled. Nobody else had ever said that to him. Shannon had actually, so long ago that he had trouble remembering it. None of his other wives or girlfriends had offered to listen to him. It seemed as if they preferred not to know. Gibbs smiled as he braked to a stop for a red light. It was nice to have somebody offer to listen on the off chance that Jethro might actually open up.

Gibbs smiled again. He could see Kate, she was stopped in front of him, the first car at the intersection, singing along to whatever song was playing on the radio. Jethro was so engrossed in watching Kate and waiting for the light to change, that he never saw it coming. The car behind him that refused to slow down.

A sharp noise assaulted Jethro's ears. Instinctively he braced for the impact and shut his eyes tightly. Gibbs could hear the metal of his car twist and groan under the impact, and the sharp noise of glass breaking surrounded him. He felt the airbag deploy. Then he realized that he was moving.

"Oh shit." Jethro Gibbs muttered. He opened his eyes just in time to see his car push Kate's into the busy intersection.


	3. concussions and confessions

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the kind reviews! This chapter took awhile to write...writing about an accident was a lot harder than I thought! I don't own any of the characters...happy reading!!!**

Jethro rolled his head to the side and groaned.

"Ohh..." He mumbled just as the dust settled from the accident.

Slowly he reached for the door handle. Much to Jethro's relief it opened.

"Kate!" Jethro yelled as he raced towards the now crumpled car.

"Hey man!" A voice yelled as Jethro pried open the door on Kate's car.

"You should let the paramedics do that!" A voice yelled as Jethro yanked hard to open the dented drivers-side door.

"Trust me...I got this..." Jethro panted as he yanked with all his might, desperate to free Kate.

Much to Jethro's surprise the door opened, and Kate was crushed behind the wheel, slightly slumped over but still coherent.

"Oh my God...." Kate moaned as she looked up at Gibbs.

"We gotta get you out of here." Jethro said as he reached for his knife and cut through Kate's seatbelt.

"Can you move?" Gibbs asked as he worked to remove Kate.

"Yeah." Kate whimpered.

"Jethro..what...what happened?" Kate stuttered as Jethro finally felt the seatbelt release.

"You got shoved into the intersection." Jethro explained as he helped a still-stunned Kate out of her car.

"Oh, okay." Kate replied quickly.

Jethro took one look at Kate and realized she was in shock, rightfully so. After being rear-ended Jethro's car had slid into Kate's and pushed her into a busy intersection. A three-car accident had become a seven car pile-up at a busy intersection.

"Kate...go stand on the sidewalk." Gibbs said as he pointed.

Jethro quickly inspected the other cars, thankfully they were all empty, the smell of gasoline, and motor oil combined with the sound of sirens and Jethro made his way over to the sidewalk where a crowd had gathered.

"Guess y'all are gonna' start blaming me!" A young man in his early twenties slurred as he stumbled towards the crowd.

"Is that your truck?" Gibbs asked as he pointed at the pick-up truck that was smashed into the back of his car.

"Sure is!" The young man announced proudly, which made Gibbs fly into a rage.

"Have you been drinking?" Gibbs pressed.

"Sure have! It's my first day of shore leave!" The young man let out a delighted whoop as he said it.

"Kate..." Gibbs growled. He waited but got no response, he was used to having Kate as his back-up, but she stood there on the sidewalk with a crowd of curious onlookers, and the owners of the other cars.

"Are you in the Navy?" Gibbs asked stating the obvious.

"Sure am!" The man replied.

"Great." Gibbs said as he moved closer to the man.

"You in the Navy too?" The man asked, thinking that he and Gibbs were going to start swapping stories like old friends.

"Actually...I'm an NCIS Agent and so is she." Gibbs said as he pointed to Kate.

"Shucks...I"m sorry about all this..." The man said quickly as he waved his hand towards the accident.

"Come here son..." Gibbs coaxed, knowing that it would be easy to gain his trust.

Gibbs slowly reached inside his jacket pocket and retrieved the set of handcuffs that he always kept with him.

"You're under arrest." Gibbs said just as the man was close enough for him to cuff.

Gibbs deftly cuffed the young man and yanked him down to the ground so that he was sitting on the sidewalk.

"Stay!" Gibbs yelled as he ran towards Kate and the group of victims and onlookers.

"Is everybody okay? Who needs medical attention?" Gibbs yelled, hoping he could sort through this mess. The sirens were getting closer and he'd have help soon enough.

"I'm fine...I think." One voice yelled.

"You think?" Gibbs asked in frustration.

"I had my knee replaced eight weeks ago, today was my first day driving." The older man explained.

"Okay...anybody else?" Gibbs asked as he saw police, and an ambulance arrive.

"We're fine, but I don't know about this one..." A woman just about Gibbs' age said as she moved aside.

Kate was lying on the sidewalk, and a young girl probably still in college was kneeling next to her.

"She started crying...saying that she was going to be late for dinner, and some guy named Jethro hates when people are late." The young girl explained.

"Shit." Jethro muttered as he looked at Kate, noticing for the first time the dark bruises under her eyes, and that her nose was bumpy, swollen and bleeding.

"She looked at her shirt and freaked out...didn't she?" Gibbs said knowingly.

"Yep." The girl replied quickly.

"She can't stand it when it gets everywhere." Gibbs muttered. He looked at Kate's blue and gray stripped button-down, it was soaked with blood.

"What?" The girl asked as Gibbs knelt next to a still unconscious Kate.

"Nothing fazes her...she can deal with a lot, but blood everywhere...not her thing." Gibbs explained.

"I understand completely." The woman said as she pulled a wad of tissues from her purse and shoved them up Kate's nose.

"You do?" Gibbs said with a puzzled expression as he watched the young girl.

"Third year nursing student...ask me what happens when I have to get bloodwork done...." The girl trailed off.

"She keels over like it's her job." A paramedic said as he pushed his way through and knelt next to kate.

"Dylan?" The young girl asked.

"Jessa?" The paramedic replied.

"He's my fiancee." Jessa explained as she looked at Gibbs.

"She's my fiancee." The paramedic said with a grin as he looked at Gibbs, and the two men shared a knowing smile.

"She's very intelligent." Gibbs said, awestruck at how quickly the young woman had administered first aid.

"Anybody else?" Dylan asked as he began trying to wake Kate.

"Older guy...he had his knee replaced, today is his first day completely mobile." Jessa surmised quickly.

"How the hell did this all happen?" Dylan asked.

"Drunk...shoved her and him into the intersection, resulting in the pile-up." Jessa explained.

"And you?" Dylan asked his fiancee as Gibbs watched worry spread across the young man's face.

"I was going with the flow of traffic...I tried to brake, but I spun because of the rain. I think the car is totaled...my dad is going to be so pissed." Jessa said as she gently patted Kate's cheek.

"He won't be pissed." Dylan said quickly, knowing that Jessa's father would be grateful she was alive once they saw the wreckage.

"Where's the drunk?" Dylan asked looking around.

"He cuffed him." Jessa said plainly as Gibbs watched Kate, waiting for some sign that would give him hope.

"You what?" Dylan asked in awe.

"I'm an NCIS Agent, so is she, and he's on shore leave. This is going to be the worst weekend of that Petty Officer's life." Gibbs muttered.

"That's it...come on honey..." Gibbs cooed as he returned his attention to Kate. Her eyelids were fluttering gently.

"What...what's going on?" Kate asked as she realized she was lying on a cold rainy sidewalk in downtown DC.

"We were in an accident...a bad one, and your car bore the brunt of it." Jethro explained as he smoothed Kate's bangs off of her face.

"Oh okay." Kate said as her eyes closed again.

"Kate!" Jethro yelled. He realized it now, and he hated himself for not seeing it sooner. She had to have hit her head.

"I think she's got a head injury." Gibbs said as Jessa tried to bring Kate around one more time.

"Definetly. It's hard to tell in this light for sure, but her pupils were dialated...big time." Dylan explained.

"Jethro..." Kate croaked. Gibbs almost cried with joy when he heard Kate say his name.

"I'm right here." Gibbs said as he leaned in over Kate.

"Can I get a new car...today...I don't want to miss work." Kate babbled.

"We'll get you a new car...a red one if you want, but you really need to stay awake okay?" Jethro teased.

"She's incredibly confused." Jessa said as she stood up so Dylan could get a better look at Kate's eyes.

"Shock?" Jethro asked hopefully.

"Or delirousness." Dylan replied.

"I'd rather it be shock." Gibbs confided in the younger man.

"Jessa...have you bothered to stop and take care of yourself?" The young paramedic turned his head to ask his fiancee.

"I'm fine." Jessa said hastily.

"You're sure?" Gibbs and Dylan chorused.

"Guys...I already have a daddy." Jessa teased as she headed off to find a police officer who would deal with the man who caused the accident.

"She's fine." Dylan said with a smirk as he looked at Gibbs.

"How do you know?" Gibbs asked.

"She's just as sassy as ever." Dylan teased.

"I know how that goes." Jethro said as he sighed, exhaling a deep breath he didn't realize he'd been holding in.

"Jethro?" Kate asked in a tiny voice.

"Yeah sweetie?" Gibbs asked as he reached for Kate's hand and held it an an attempt to comfort her.

"Why are you letting this guy touch me?" Kate asked, wishing he'd fight for her honor like a real man.

"His name is Dylan, and he is a very competent paramedic. He knows a lot more about head injuries and broken noses than I do." Gibbs said with a small smile.

"Am I hurt?" Kate asked, a dazed and worried look crossing her face.

"You can't feel this?" Dylan asked as he ran a gloved fingertip across the bridge of Kate's nose.

"Nope." Kate said proudly.

"This?" Dylan said as he ran his hands under Kate's cheekbones. right where the fresh bruises had appeared.

"Nope." Kate said as she attempted to sit up, stopped by Jethro's firm hand guiding her back down, and the lightheadedness that enveloped her.

"I felt that..." Kate said as the dizzy feeling settled around her.

"What?" Dylan questioned, hoping Kate had felt some sort of pain.

"The Earth...it just moved." Kate explained as if it were common sense.

"No Katie...you have a head injury. You're just dizzy." Gibbs explained.

"Really? Does this mean I can't drink tonight?" Kate asked with a worried look.

"You can't drink for awhile." Gibbs said.

"No Friday fun?" Kate said with a whimper.

"Friday fun?" Dylan said with confused look.

"Yeah...it's only on Fridays and it's really fun...we have dinner and drink bourbon...and build a boat...and then...we have..." Kate said excitedly.

"Dessert." Jethro said as he cut Kate off quickly, hoping to spare her some embarassment.

"Well Kate..I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we're taking you to the hospital. Your husband can join us if he wants." Dylan said as he stood upright.

"He will." Kate said with sudden clarity, knowing that Jethro wouldn't leave her side at a time like this.

"I certainly will." Jethro said as he helped Kate to stand up slowly.

Jethro smiled as he and Dylan assissted Kate to the ambulance.

"Is this necessary?" Kate asked as Gibbs and Dylan gently set her on the gurney.

"It is." Gibbs said as he patted Kate's knee.

"Hey!" Jessa yelled as she bounded towards the ambulance.

"We're ready to head to the hospital." Dylan explained.

"I know...that's why Metro is sending a car." Jessa explained breathlessly.

"A car?" Dylan asked.

"Yeah, something about they are going to hold that guy for the night, but they want a statement from him." Jessa said as she pointed to Gibbs.

"Fine by me...we're going to get going...this girl needs a doctor." Dylan said, knowing he had already let too much time lapse.

"Okay...I get it...Metro just told me to tell you." Jessa said as she made her way back to where the police were so she could file her portion of the accident report and have her car towed.

"Text me!" Dylan yelled as the ambulance doors shut and they sped off towards the hospital.

"Sir?" Dylan asked as he watched Jethro Gibbs pace nervously in the waiting room. It had been over an hour since Kate had arrived, and he had no word on her condition yet.

"Don't call me sir please, it's Gibbs...just....Gibbs." Jethro explained.

"Gibbs...are you all right?" Dylan asked.

"Yeah, I'm always this quiet." Jethro explained, thinking the young man was referring to Jethro's very silent state. He hadn't uttered a word since he'd had to leave Kate.

"No...I mean have you gotten checked out? You were in a wreck too." Dylan elaborated.

"I'm fine." Gibbs said as he stood up, but the wincing pain in his hip told him otherwise.

"That doesn't look fine to me." Dylan said cautiously.

"Crap." Gibbs muttered as he figured it out.

"What?" Dylan asked.

Gibbs' eyes widened. If it happened to him, then it had happened to Kate too.

"I was armed when I was driving home. So was Kate." Gibbs said softly.

"Oh my gosh." Dylan said as he stood up, realizing what that meant.

"Tell them I need her service weapon...now." Gibbs said pointedly as Dylan disappeared.

The young paramedic returned moments later. Kate's badge, holster, cuffs and service weapon were secured in sealed plastic bag.

"Thanks. I kinda need to keep track of this weapon...it's a big deal." Gibbs explained.

"I should say so." Dylan mused.

"The nurse said that Kate's got a big bruise on her hip from the gun." Dylan added.

"I bet I do too." Gibbs winced slightly.

"Want an ice pack?" Dylan offered.

"Nope. I just want to know about my Katie. Is she okay? Did she look any better?" Gibbs asked hopeful for some new information.

"She's in CAT-scan right now...the nurse was trying to figure out what to do with all of...that." Dylan said as he gestured towards the bag that Gibbs was holding.

"Agent Gibbs?" A voice bellowed through the waiting room.

"Yeah?" Gibbs turned around to see two Metro police officers standing there.

"We need your statement sir." The police officers explained.

"Sure." Gibbs said as he approached the officers and began explaining what had transpired.

"That was quick thinking...arresting him on the spot." The older of the officers complimented.

"He almost killed my partner and girlfriend." Gibbs lamented.

"There's two victims?" The cops looked at one another in confusion.

"No...they're ummm...one and the same." Gibbs said as he tried not to look at the cops.

"Okay." The older officer said quickly. He knew that it was none of his business, but relationships like that rarely worked out for the best.

"I've already notified your people. We're holding him for the weekend, but on Monday Petty Officer Tomlinson is all yours." The younger officer added.

"Did you talk to night crew?" Gibbs asked, wondering how Metro had gotten a hold of somebody on a Friday night.

"Nah...that always takes too long. I called my old buddy. Say, do you know an Agent DiNozzo? He and I go way back..." The younger agent babbled.

"Joe...this isn't social hour." The older officer chided.

"Boss!" Tony yelled as he ran through the doors of the waiting room, McGee and Abby right behind him.

"Gibbs!" Abby yelled as she ran towards Gibbs and wrapped him in a tight hug.

"Abby...she's fine." Gibbs said stressing the word fine, hoping he might believe it himself.

"Really?" Abby asked trying to fight the tears.

"Tony...take this!" Gibbs growled as he thrust the bag holding Kate's weapon at Tony. It was going to take both hands to pry Abby off of him.

"What the hell do you people do on Friday nights?" Dylan asked when he saw Tony's fresh bruise, and McGee's scraped up hands.

"We had a standoff yestereday." McGee explained sheepishly.

"The one in Silver Creek? That was you guys?" Dylan asked.

"Sure was." Tony replied.

"Agent Gibbs?" A voice yelled above the now noisy waiting room.

"Yep." Gibbs replied.

Abby reluctantly ended her embrace with Gibbs.

A middle-aged doctor with glasses stood in front of the group.

"I'd like to speak to you, about Agent Todd." The doctor said.

"Okay." Gibbs said as he snapped his fingers, and the waiting room silenced immediately.

"Privately." The doctor pressed.

"Whatever you have to say to me, you can say to them. We're family." Gibbs explained.

"She's going to be fine. Her nose is a mess, and she's got a concussion, but she will be fine." The doctor explained.

"Great." Gibbs said as he watched Abby's face fall into a look of relief.

"She's asking for you." The doctor said as he pointed at Gibbs.

"Somebody call Ducky." Gibbs yelled as he followed the doctor, desperate to see Kate.

"Will do!" McGee yelled.

"Hey sweetie...." Gibbs trailed off as he looked at Kate. He had never seen her look so helpless, or drained. Her nose was bandaged in white gauze, and she had an IV in her one arm.

"Do I really have to stay the night?" Kate whined.

"Yes." Gibbs said without hesitation.

"Why?" Kate said in a whiny voice.

"Because you were in a seven-car pile-up, and your car was in the middle of it all." Gibbs explained as he made his way towards Kate's bed and hugged her tightly.

"Fair enough." Kate said dryly as she wrapped an arm delicately around Jethro's shoulder.

"The whole team is here...they're all very worried." Jethro explained as he leaned in and kissed Kate's lips.

"I'm fine." Kate growled.

"Now you sound like me." Gibbs teased.

"I heard you have a gnarly battle scar." Gibbs added with a smirk.

"Sure do." Kate said as she grinned at him and pulled up the side of her nightgown and showed Gibbs the bruise on her hip, it was shaped exactly like her holster.

"I have one too." Gibbs whispered, shocked at Kate's lack of modesty. It was so out of character for her.

"Poor baby." Kate cooed as she kissed Jethro's cheek.

"It will heal." Gibbs smiled as Kate leaned back against the pillows so she could rest.

"Is she allowed to see anybody else?" Gibbs asked hopeful, knowing that Abby would love to see Kate.

"Sure, but one at a time, and don't let anybody stay too long." The doctor explained.

***OUT IN THE WAITING ROOM***

"DiNozzo...man, I thought we had a deal, about the gossip." Joey pressed his friend.

"What do you mean?" DiNozzo asked.

"The hot stuff especially. You never told me Gibbs was hooking up with Todd." Joey explained.

"And that's rough seeing as how I told you about Monica and I at the policeman's ball last year..." Joey trailed off as he watched a strange expression cross Tony's face.

It was then that the young police officer realized, Tony had no clue.

"He called her his _girlfriend." _Joey whispered the last word.

"Really?" Tony asked with a curious look on his face.

"Sure did...hey hasn't he had like seven wives? He's the female version of Liz Taylor." Joe teased.

"Three." Tony corrected as he made his way over to Abby and whispered in her ear. Her eyes grew wide and she tugged on McGee's shirt and whispered in his ear. Their expressions of shock were priceless.

Gibbs rounded the corner back into the waiting room, three shocked faces staring back at him.

"She wants to see Abby." Gibbs said.

Abby stood motionless. She thought it was sweet that they were together, but she wasn't sure if she'd ever look at Gibbs the same way again.

"So what's it like?" Abby asked as she stared at her boss.

"It's a regular hospital room. With Kate in it." Gibbs clarified.

"No, not that." Abby said as she folded her arms across her chest, angry that she hadn't been let in on the secret.

"Well what then?" Gibbs asked.

"What's it like to do my best friend?" Abby asked angrily.

"Pardon?" Jethro said as he cleared his throat, trying to conceal his shock. Abby rarely talked like that.

"You know...horizontal mambo, mattress twister, hooking up? Thanks for telling us!" Abby said as she walked by Gibbs and punched him in his upper arm.

"She took that rather well." McGee said proudly once Abby had disappeared.

"Not bad actually." Gibbs said as he rubbed his arm gently.

"I've seen her do worse for lesser infractions." Tony added.

All three men stopped and shared a quick look. They knew hiding secrets from Abby had its dangers.

"She'll get over it." Gibbs said as he glared at McGee.

"She will." McGee said knowingly, realizing that he'd be putting up with Abby's banter all night long regarding the situation.

"She wants to see you." Abby said as she re-appeared ten minutes later and pointed at McGee.

"What?! I'm chopped liver? McGoo gets to go first?" Tony said angrily.

"She asked for McGee." Abby re-iterated.

"So how long?" Abby asked as she glared at Gibbs.

"Six months." Gibbs confessed. Their secret was out. There was no sense in hiding anything now.

"Tony...she's ready for you." McGee said as he appeared in the waiting room.

"Cool." Tony said as he stood up so he could go visit Kate.

Later that night the team had left and Ducky had called Jethro from his conference so he could find out the whole story. Ducky had offered his sympathies and hung up, eager to get back to the seminar.

"What are you doing?" Kate giggled as Jethro sat on the edge of her bed and swung his legs up.

"Staying with you." Jethro said as he yawned and snuggled up next to Kate.

"Why?" Kate asked.

"Because I love you." Jethro said softly.

Kate smiled to herself, knowing that was the best reason of all.


	4. Memories and Pizza

**Author's Note:** Just a short update! The mystery part of the story will begin in the next chapter! This one is mostly fluff, but I promise some suspense next time...enjoy!

"Finally!" Kate said triumphantly as she set foot in the front hall of her townhouse.

"It was one night." Gibbs said with a smile as he set the bag of Kate's belongings down.

"It's still home to me!" Kate exclaimed proudly.

"That it is." Jethro said as Kate gingerly made her way towards the couch.

"I can't believe you slept all hunched over last night." Kate said as she rested against a throw pillow.

"Anything for you." Jethro remarked.

"You're so good to me." Kate smiled as she let out a small sigh.

"What do you want for dinner?" Gibbs asked as he gently wrapped his arm around Kate.

"Mmm...pizza." Kate said decisively.

"Fine by me...my cooking is not edible, by any means." Jethro teased.

"Honey?" Kate asked absentmindedly.

"Yeah?" Gibbs asked as he reached for his phone to call Pizza Planet.

"How did we get home?" Kate asked.

"You're kidding right?" Jethro asked with a hollow laugh.

"Both of our cars...well I hate to say it...but they're in..." Kate trailed off and leaned in and whispered in Jethro's ear "car Heaven." Kate whispered with a giggle.

"McGee took me to pick up a rental from the insurance adjustor this morning." Gibbs explained with a heavy sigh. He had a feeling that Kate's head injury was going to make for a very long weekend, full of odd questions and even stranger insights.

"Where was I?" Kate asked with pout.

"You're serious?" Gibbs pressed.

"I think so..." Kate said as she tried to make up her mind.

"You were in the hospital...they had to take pictures of your brains to make sure you were fit to go home with an old man like me." Gibbs teased.

"Is it pretty?" Kate asked without skipping a beat.

Gibbs sighed...Kate's short-term memory loss was going to be a lot to handle.

"It's red, just like your old car. And it's a sedan too, but not the same brand." Gibbs explained.

It wasn't that he was mad at Kate. He had no reason to be mad at her. He just couldn't stand seeing her like this. Gibbs knew better than anybody else that it could have been much worse, and Kate was lucky. He hated seeing her so fragile, so weak. That just wasn't Kate Todd, she was stronger than that, but he was glad to be able to take care of her.

"My face hurts." Kate said as she leaned on Jethro's shoulder.

"After you have some pizza you can have some more painkillers. Your face is going to hurt for a long time. You broke your nose sweetie." Gibbs said as he reached for Kate's hand and held it in his.

"Will you still love me?" Kate asked with a yawn.

"Of course. You have nothing to worry about." Jethro replied quickly.

"Even if my nose isn't straight. Marci Colleti broke her nose at cheerleading camp sophomore year...her nose was never straight again...and after the bandages came off, Joey Baines, the quarterback broke up with her...all because of her nose." Kate said sadly.

"Kate...I think the breakup may have been about something besides her nose. Nobody is that vain." Jethro explained as he ran a gentle hand through Kate's hair.

"You've never met Marci and Joey." Kate quipped.

Gibbs shook his head in disbelief. It was amazing that Kate could remember things about the past, but she could barely remember what color their car was.

"Will you take me car shopping?" Kate asked hopefully.

"Yes, in a few weeks, after you talk to your insurance company and recuperate." Jethro said as he dialed the number for Pizza Planet.

Kate clapped her hands, she was so overjoyed at the thought of a new car.

"Did you get pepperoni?" Kate asked as she and Jethro rested on the couch, waiting for their pizza to be delivered.

"I always get pepperoni." Gibbs said dryly.

"I'm screwing up a lot...aren't I? It's like....I've got the words...or the thoughts....or something...and I'm so....anxious...I just don't get it!" Kate wrung her hands in frustration as she burst into tears.

Jethro sighed. Ducky and the doctor at the hospital had warned him about this. The short-term memory loss would bring on its own share of frustrations and anxiety.

"Honey...it's going to be just fine." Gibbs said in a soothing voice as he wrapped his arms around Kate.

"I hope so! What if I forget how to shoot? Or tie my shoes...or what if I forget how to...." Kate trailed off as she looked at Gibbs, a serious expression crossing her face.

"Kate Todd!" Jethro exclaimed.

"I'm surprised at you! But don't you worry...from what I hear that's like riding a bike." Gibbs said and he was relieved when Kate laughed.

"But what if I forget how you like it?" Kate asked pitifully.

"Then I shall remind you." Jethro teased as he kissed Kate's lips softly, using care to avoid her nose.

"Over and over again?" Kate asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I promise." Gibbs said as the doorbell rang and he got up to get the pizza.

Two hours later Kate and Jethro had enjoyed a quick but tasty dinner of pizza and some ice cream that Kate had in the freezer, they had both showered, and slid into their coziest pajamas.

"We match." Kate said with a smile as she traced the outline on Jethro's hip.

"Unfortunately." Gibbs replied.

"Yeah...one hell of a way to get bruised." Kate said as she ran a hand over her hip.

"Remind me not to get in an accident when I'm armed." Kate said as she let Jethro tuck her into bed.

"Same here." Gibbs teased as he pulled the covers tightly over Kate.

Gibbs turned off the bedroom light and crawled into bed and cuddled up next to Kate.

"Don't be afraid to wake me up if you need anything." Jethro reminded Kate as he stifled a yawn.

"Why are you so good to me?" Kate asked out of the blue.

"Because I love you." Gibbs replied quickly.

"You've taken such good care of me...I really appreciate it." Kate said as she cuddled closer to Jethro and drifted off to sleep.

Gibbs lay awake for awhile thinking about the past. He knew why he was taking care of Kate. He would tell her someday soon, but not now. She might not remember, and it would be awkward to re-explain everything. Gibbs fell asleep, slightly comforted by the fact that he could provide Kate Todd with what he hadn't been able to give Shannon and Kelly fifteen years ago.


	5. handguns and nightmares

**Author's Note**: As promised...some long awaited suspense...Kate meets Ari in this chapter...please enjoy! Also, I don't own anything! In one part I am just guessing about Shannon's age, and career...the timeline might be a bit off, but I think it fits!

"I feel like I'm five." Kate teased as she wrapped an arm around Jethro's shoulders and leaned up to kiss him.

"You're not five." Abby said derisively.

"Duh." Kate replied as she kissed Jethro's lips lightly.

"I'm not so crazy about leaving you alone just yet, and we have to get some work done today." Gibbs replied.

"I can work...let me do something." Kate pleaded.

"No, besides Director Morrow said that you're off for two weeks." Gibbs reminded her.

"Kate...this is going to be the best Monday ever!" Abby said happily as she began turning on her equipment.

"Oh I hope so." Kate said as Jethro squeezed her hand.

"I have to go, but I'll be upstairs if you need anything." Gibbs said as he kissed Kate once more and disappeared.

"Thanks honey." Kate said sweetly as she sat down next to Abby.

"Now what?" Kate asked petulantly.

"Well, I'd love to have some help, but Director Morrow was very clear...you're not supposed to be doing anything until your two weeks are up. So I guess you can just keep me company." Abby said happily.

"Cool." Kate replied as she stared at the computer screens. The numbers, charts, and graphs made no sense to her.

"What are you working on?" Kate asked out of curiosity.

"Robbery." Abby said as she pulled out a battered-looking laptop.

"Somebody tried to steal security codes." Abby explained as she began typing.

"That's bad...very naughty." Kate said as she stifled a yawn.

"Kate...when did you take your medicine?" Abby asked as she eyed Kate cautiously.

"Right after breakfast." Kate replied, stifling another yawn.

"Then that means it's naptime." Abby said checking her watch.

"No...I need to keep you company." Kate pleaded as Abby got up and began unfolding the futon she kept in her lab.

"No...you need to take care of yourself." Abby corrected as she pointed at the futon.

"I can't believe this medicine is wiping me out. I feel like a zombie." Kate replied as she happily flopped onto the futon.

"I know...happy drugs will do that to a person." Abby said as she handed Kate a fleece blanket and Bert the hippo.

"Mmm...and I get more in four hours!" Kate announced proudly as she closed her eyes.

"Sweet dreams Kate!" Abby replied as she stood up and headed back to work.

"Sweetie...it's lunchtime..." Jethro whispered in Kate's ear.

Kate opened her eyes to see Jethro crouched down next to the futon.

"Did I really sleep all morning?" Kate asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"Don't worry about it the rest is good for you...besides we're having your favorite for lunch." Gibbs said as he extended a hand to Kate and helped her up.

"Mmmm...chicken salad!" Kate said happily as she stood up and followed Gibbs and Abby to the elevator.

"Abby...you make a great baby-sitter." Kate complimented as she watched Abby shut down all of her machines, it was just past six, and the entire team was headed home.

"Thanks my dear!" Abby said as she hugged Kate.

"So..." Gibbs said as he pushed himself away from the table after dinner that night.

"So what?" Kate asked.

"How are you feeling? Did a day of sleeping do you any good?" Jethro asked with concern.

"It did...my ribs aren't so sore...and I'm kinda anxious, and only a little confused." Kate explained.

"What are you confused about? Can I help?" Jethro asked as he got up from his chair and headed over to Kate. He immediately began to rub her shoulders.

"Nothing specific really. I guess I just keep thinking about the night of the accident. I feel weird, because it's practically a whole night of my life I don't remember. I know the doctor said it's normal, but you wouldn't understand what it is like to lose a day of your life." Kate mused.

Jethro stopped his massage. He knew what it was like to lose nineteen days of his life. He had been in a coma in Kuwait, but nobody knew that. Not even Ducky. He would tell Kate though, sometime, when it was the right time, but now sitting in his kitchen, rubbing her back, it just didn't feel right.

"Why did you stop?" Kate whined.

"Sorry sweetie." Jethro uncharacteristacally apologized, and began to massage Kate's neck again.

"So do I have to be baby-sat tomorrow?" Kate asked teasingly.

"Nope. Ducky said you should be just fine. If you promise one thing, and one thing only." Gibbs whispered in Kate's ear.

"What?" Kate asked, smiling slighty. Making a promise with Jethro was really good or bad.

"That you stay here, relax, and do your best to recover." Jethro explained. He had already discussed the situation with Ducky, and he trusted Kate not to do anything irrational.

"Am I allowed to go get the mail?" Kate joked.

"Only if you walk slowly." Jethro replied as he reached for Kate's hand and kissed it.

**THE NEXT MORNING**

"You look good...I really like that color on you." Kate said as Gibbs came downstairs in a plum colored shirt and grey jacket.

"Thanks. I like that blue color on you." Gibbs replied as he kissed and hugged Kate good morning.

"It's called periwinkle. Thanks, I'm already sick of wearing sweatsuits, but I guess I should enjoy it while it lasts." Kate corrected.

"If you say so. Now don't forget what I told you." Gibbs said as Kate handed him a cup of coffee.

"I know...call right away if I even_ think _I need anything." Kate said in a sing-song voice.

"Good girl." Jethro said as he patted Kate on the head.

"Woof!" Kate said, adding to the joke.

"You're not a dog." Jethro smiled as he sipped his coffee.

"Yeah...I'm a bitch." Kate growled as she smiled at Jethro.

Surprised by Kate's candor, Jethro almost spit his coffee back into his cup.

"I can tease too." Kate reminded Gibbs as he placed his empty coffee cup in the dishwasher and grabbed his keys.

"See you tonight." Gibbs said as he kissed Kate on the cheek.

"Lock the door!" Jethro yelled as he headed towards his car.

Dutifully, Kate locked the door. She glanced around the empty house, not sure of what to do with so much unstructured free time. Kate headed towards the living room and turned the television on. Kate quickly learned that morning television was either news programs or very trashy talk shows, with awful guests.

_"I can't build a boat." _Kate said aloud to the empty house.

Kate looked at a large bookshelf in the corner of the living room. Provided she didn't get a headache she could attempt to read something. Anything to occupy her time. Kate noticed immediately almost all of the books were about boat building, but much to Kate's surprise she found an extensive selection of the classics. Kate smiled when she found her favorite book on the shelf: _Les Miserables. _Kate gently pulled the book with the worn binding off the shelf. A photograph stuck inside the front cover and Kate picked it up. The back was facing up and Kate read it to herself.

_"Shannon, College Graduation 1980." _

Kate flipped the picture over to find a redhead proudly posing with her diploma. Kate squinted to read the printing on the document.

_"South Carolina State....Speech Therapy_." Kate read aloud.

Kate relaxed her eyes and stared at the woman in the photgraph. She was so young, so pretty, and she had gorgeous red hair. Kate smiled as she gently tucked the photograph of the young woman back on the shelf. Kate laughed to herself as she curled up on the couch with her book. Shannon had to have been one of the ex-wives. She was a red-head after all, and it only made sense. Kate did some math. In 1980 Jethro would have been a Marine, stationed in South Carolina. Kate shrugged her shoulders. The stress of being in the service probably separated them.

Kate forgot all about the picture and read until her eyelids felt heavy. She dragged herself upstairs and fell into the big bed that she loved to share with Jethro. Something woke Kate that she couldn't describe. A strange sensation, a gut feeling Kate couldn't place. Kate felt compelled to head to the basement. She was shocked to see somebody down there.

A tall dark-haired, dark-eyed man eyed the boat. He gently ran a hand across the smooth wood.

"It's not for sale." Kate said dryly, wishing she had her weapon, confused as to why this man was in her house.

"I know Caitlin. I'm sure Jethro appreciates your protectiveness." The man replied.

"How the hell do you know me? I mean us?" Kate yelled as she stopped on the staircase.

"Oh Caitlin...patience my dear. Your nose is healing quite well. Just a few days and the swelling is almost gone." The man said as he forced Kate to maintain eye contact with him.

Kate was oddly entranced by his brown eyes. She couldn't describe her fixation. He seemed creepy but he was handsome, and his accent was very light and his voice soft.

"What do you want?" Kate pressed.

"Oh...I was just visiting." The man explained.

Kate's heart raced as he made his way up the stairs. Kate wasn't armed and she did the only thing she could think of. She ran back to the master bedroom and closed the door behind her. Kate rummaged through the nightstand drawer and grabbed her weapon. She was ready to fire the instant he came through the door.

"Kate...Katie..." A gentle voice cooed in Kate's ear.

"What!" Kate yelled as she sat upright, her weapon drawn. It had been hidden under her pillow.

A deft hand removed the Glock from Kate's trembling grasp, and Jethro gently placed it back in the nightstand drawer.

"Somebody was here...in this house...I had...to...have my weapon." Kate gasped.

"That's impossible." Gibbs said, his house was safe and he knew it.

"No it's not!" Kate yelled in frustration.

"Kate...the door was locked." Gibbs explained.

"But it was so real." Kate whimpered.

"Honey...just relax it was a nightmare." Gibbs said as he sat on the edge of the bed and embraced Kate in an attempt to comfort her.

"He touched the boat...he knew my name...and yours...." Kate gulped as she began to cry.

"Oh Kate...it's going to be fine." Gibbs said as he reached for his phone, dialed Ducky's number and handed the phone to Kate.

"Hello my dear!" Ducky said cheerfully.

"Ducky?" Kate asked hesitantly.

"Is it normal...to have...bad...dreams?" Kate asked as she snuggled closer to Jethro.

"Certainly. Our brains do strange things when we sleep, even on a good day, but you've had a recent injury...that might make things much worse." Ducky explained.

"Thanks Ducky." Kate said as she haned the phone back to Gibbs.

Jethro disappeared into the hallway, and Kate could hear him whispering, but she couldn't make out the exact conversation. Gibbs returned a few minutes later, and retrieved Kate's weapon from the nightstand drawer.

"Hey! Where are you going with that?" Kate asked.

"Same place I'm stashing the car keys...somewhere safe!" Jethro yelled.

"I hate to say this to you...You're a danger to yourself...I can't risk you sleepwalking, or sleep-driving. As Ducky explained it to me it's quite common in people with head injuries, especially women." Gibbs explained when he returned to the bedroom.

"Fine." Kate grumbled.

Later that night, Kate knew she should have felt safe wrapped up in Jethro's arms. It seemed like it took hours for her to fall asleep. It had all felt so real, but Ducky and Jethro had told her otherwise, although her instincts said she was right.

"Kate...just relax, it was only a dream." Gibbs mumbled as he ran a hand through Kate's hair.

Kate closed her eyes and forced herself to relax, knowing that it hadn't been a nightmare.


	6. Ari is Real

**Author's Note:** I don't own anything!

"Are you sure?" Jethro asked for the fifth time that morning as he and Kate got ready.

"I am." Kate replied.

"If you change your mind...let me know." Gibbs said as he wrapped his arms around Kate's waist and hugged her tightly.

"I will, I promise." Kate said as she leaned up and kissed Jethro.

"See you at the office...hopefully with good news." Kate waved as Jethro headed downstairs.

"Love you!" Jethro shouted in reply.

"Love you too!" Kate yelled back.

Today was hopefully going to be Kate's last doctor's appointment for awhile. She was hoping that he'd release her so she could go back to all the regular duties of her job. After two weeks off and another four weeks of pushing paper Kate was ready for some excitement in her life. It was time to get back into the field, and Kate Todd was more than ready.

Kate glanced at herself quickly in the bathroom mirror.

"_Not bad...even with the bandage_." Kate thought to herself as she headed back to the bedroom and slipped on her shoes, grabbed her purse and headed out the door. For the past six weeks Kate had been subjected to wearing an awful bandage on her nose. It was stiff and uncomfortable, but most of all it drew a lot of unwanted attention.

Kate was ready for it to all be over, the unwanted stares, the curious questions, the lack of excitement at work, but most of all Jethro's worrying. He worried about Kate an awful lot lately, and it was sweet to have somebody looking out for her but Kate wished he'd relax a little bit.

"Mmhmmm..." The doctor muttered as he looked at the most recent x-rays of Kate's nose.

"Mmmhmm good or mmmhmmm bad?" Kate asked from the exam table.

"You my dear are very fortunate." The doctor said as he switched off the light board and headed back towards the exam table.

"Yeah..that accident was pretty gnarly I'm lucky to be here." Kate said knowingly.

"You can also add quick healer to your list of talents." The doctor said happily.

"Really?" Kate asked happily.

"I've never seen a nose heal quite like this. Quickly, and the best part, it's still straight. You are a very lucky lady.

"I know." Kate said, silently thanking God for her quick recovery.

"We're going to take off this awful bandage, and you're going to be on your way. I know what you do for a living, and if you get hit in the face, or if you fall you really need to come back and see me immediately." The doctor explained as he put on gloves.

"Will do." Kate replied, knowing that even though the doctor had released her that Jethro would be keeping an eye on her for awhile.

"Great." The doctor said as he busily cut the bandages off Kate's nose.

"So much better than I expected..." Kate murmured approvingly as she looked in the mirror.

"I told you it looks really nice." The doctor added.

"Just one thing...I need a note for my personnel file...they have to have record that a physician has released me." Kate explained.

"Let me go grab one...I'll be right back." The doctor disappeared and Kate could hardly contain her excitement.

"Here you are...I hope I won't be seeing you anytime soon." The doctor smiled at Kate as she hopped off the table and headed out of the office.

"Hi honey!" Kate greeted Jethro enthusiastically when he answered his phone.

"Hey sweetheart...I hope you have good news." Jethro said.

"I do...I even have the doctor's note to prove it." Kate said as she began driving.

"I think I'm going to buy the team lunch, I'm so happy!" Kate exclaimed as she pulled into the parking lot of a pizza place.

"Kate...that could get expensive, have you ever seen Tony eat?" Jethro teased.

"I'm doing it anyhow, besides we all need more fun in our lives." Kate teased back.

"We have plenty of fun." Jethro shot back.

"Fun we can include the team with." Kate replied tartly.

"I've never said we can't include the team." Jethro joked.

"Man pig." Kate retorted as she walked into the pizza restaurant. She'd have to wait a few minutes, but that was fine with her.

"I'm going to order now, I'll be there in a half-hour." Kate said as she hung up.

Kate placed her order and engrossed herself in a game on her phone.

"Caitlin Todd." The voice rang out. Kate stood up and made her way back to the busy counter. She pulled some cash out of her wallet and looked up.

Kate was frozen solid with fear, the money fell out of her hand...she was staring into a set of impossibly dark eyes. The gaze haunted her...the tan skin, the jet black hair...it was the man from the basement. He had been in her house.

"Caitlin?" The man questioned in a light accent Kate couldn't place.

"Oh...I'm sorry...I just...umm...long day." Kate mumbled as she handed over the money.

The man quickly made change and handed it back to Kate.

"You look like you've seen a ghost." The clerk replied as he stared at Kate.

Kate searched for a name tag, and she was disappointed that he wasn't wearing one.

"Long day." Kate muttered again as she picked up the pizza and headed out the door. Kate was halfway between the door and the counter when she felt a light tap on her shoulder. Kate spun around to see the same man standing there.

"Caitlin?" The man called out her name.

"Yes?" Kate said trying to conceal her fear.

"I didn't add jalapeno's...I know how the upset Timothy's stomach." The man replied as Kate stared back at him wide-eyed, trying to figure out how he knew such a thing.

"Why thank-you." Kate replied, desperate to hide her anxiety.

Kate headed back to her car and she sped off. Every scenario flew through her mind. The man was in her house, she was sure of it. He had touched the boat...she knew it. Nobody believed her but she knew he was stalking her. This was too creepy, and if he knew about McGee's distaste for peppers then he was probably stalking McGee too. Kate didn't understand it completely though, something was missing.

"I wonder if it's poisoned." Kate said aloud as she eyed the pizza that was sitting on her front seat.

Kate stopped her car and decided she'd grab hamburgers and fries for everyone instead...the pizza quickly found it's way into a dumpster.

"What? Gibbs promised us pizza..." Tony groaned as Kate set a cheeseburger and fries down at everyone's desk.

"Thanks Kate!" McGee said happily.

"Yay! A celebration lunch!" Abby said as she hugged Kate.

"I can smell the grease from autopsy!" Ducky announced proudly as he made his way out of the elevator.

"So what are we celebrating?" Tony asked with a mouthful of food.

"Kate's return." Gibbs said as he dipped a fry in some ketchup.

"So once again...what are we celebrating?" Tony teased as he glared at Kate.

"I got this one boss." McGee said as he smacked Tony sharply on the back of the head.

Kate was happy, but she was also a bit flustered, to say the very least and it didn't go unnoticed as the team moved through their day. Kate excused herself around three and headed down to autopsy where Ducky and Gerald were filing paperwork.

"Ducky, may I speak to you privately?" Kate asked quietly.

Ducky spun around and eyed Gerald. The younger man took his cue and left autopsy.

"Ducky...I'm a bit nervous...my first day back and all, but I have to talk to you, and you can't tell Jethro." Kate began shakily.

"Kate that's a lot to ask, we're best friends and we have no secrets." Ducky replied honestly.

"Ducky, I need you to just help me, just work with me that's all I need." Kate begged as she fought back tears.

"What is it my dear?" Ducky asked knowing this was serious.

"The weird dreams....the forgetfulness...the paranoia...how long does it last?" Kate said as she stared at Ducky.

"I saw your last CAT-Scan, that should all be long gone by now my dear. If it isn't then you shouldn't be here." Ducky said as he folded his arms over his chest

"Ducky, I saw him again. The man who was in the basement. He works at the pizza place. I didn't trust him and that's why I threw the pizza out and brought burgers, he even knows that Tim hates peppers. He knows my name, he knows McGee's name. They're one and the same Ducky I know it. That man was in Jethro's house." Kate replied.

Kate searched Ducky's face, and she was angry when she saw amusement and not concern.

"My dear, you've got a few missing circuits upstairs. We order pizza from there all the time. We're usually partying at Jethro's when we order. Anyplace we order pizza from more than once probably knows about McGee's stomach...he tells everyone. You have to give your name when you order, and they have a new employee who looks like the man from your dreams." Ducky explained.

"Oh...my...God." Kate said suddenly feeling foolish.

"How long will this last?" Kate said as she looked at Ducky.

"Not much longer, but I urge you to go back to your neurologist. I don't think you should be working like this." Ducky said as he patted Kate's shoulder and she exited autopsy.

Later that afternoon when the office was quiet Kate dialed a number. She had to do it, to prove to herself that she wasn't insane.

"Ruigi's Pizza." A female voice answered.

"May I please speak to the owner?" Kate asked politely.

"Please hold for one moment." The woman replied.

"Hello this is Ruigi." A gruff male voice said.

"Hi Ruigi, my name is Kate, and I'm a regular customer. I came in earlier today and I received really good service. The man was so nice, he even remembered about a food allergy one of my co-workers has. I really wanted to compliment him, but I didn't get his name." Kate said with a wicked grin, hoping her plan would work.

"What did he look like?" Ruigi asked.

"Young, and handsome. Middle-Eastern maybe. He had a really dreamy accent." Kate was laying it on thick, hoping she'd get an answer.

"Oh, yeah that's Ari...the guy never wears his name tag for some reason. I tell him every shift, but he always forgets, maybe I should let him know if he wears it then the ladies will really pay attention." Ruigi teased.

"Thanks for your help, have a nice evening." Kate said as she sat the phone down.

Kate almost jumped out of her chair when she glanced up to see Jethro standing there.

"Dreamy accent?" Jethro inquired with his arms crossed.

"Yeah...stripper for Carrie's bachelorette party." Kate explained, hoping Jethro would buy the lame excuse. Her friend Carrie was getting married, and it was the best lie Kate could come up with.

"I'm going to head out...it's poker night." Gibbs said as he leaned down and kissed Kate.

Kate was in shock, he never did that in the office, and he was either trying to trick her into telling the truth or he didn't care. Kate decided it was a little bit of both.

"Enjoy DiNozzo's disgusting apartment!" Kate yelled as she stood up and grabbed her coat.

Kate headed back to her own place and drew herself a hot bath. She headed back out to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine. Kate headed back towards the bathroom, and when she saw him standing there in the living room she dropped her wine, and stood there staring.

It was the man from the pizza parlor and the basement, and now he was in her living room, standing by the sliding glass doors that led to her balcony.

"Caitlin, if it was a great pizza why did you throw it in the dumpster?" The man asked.

"Did you poison it _Ari?_" Kate asked, stressing that she knew his name too.

"You'll never know." Ari said as he turned and headed onto the balcony.

Kate chased after him, but it was to no avail...he had jumped. Kate searched the ground for any sign of him, her weapon was locked in her nightstand drawer, and it would be of no use now. Kate frantically dialed Jethro's number.

"Jethro...he was....here..." Kate panted.

"Oh Katie, you're just having nightmares again." Jethro said rather insensitively as he hung his phone up quickly, eager to get back to the game.

"What was that all about?" Ducky asked as he threw down a losing hand.

"Kate said some guy was in her apartment, the same one from my basement. She's having nightmares again." Gibbs explained.

The color drained from Ducky's face and he gripped Jethro's arm.

"No she's not." Ducky whispered quietly, ashamed that he hadn't taken Kate seriously.

Gibbs stood up from the table quickly and darted for his car.

McGee, DiNozzo and Ducky sat there wide-eyed. It was mere seconds before they got up and followed their boss.


	7. A Night at Mallard Manor

**Author's Note:** I don't own any of the characters!

"Kate!" Jethro screamed as he hurriedly unlocked the door to Kate's townhouse, silently thankful she had given him a set of keys.

"Jethro!" Kate yelled back as Gibbs burst through the door, and found a disheveled Kate standing in the front hallway in a red satin robe, her hair falling out of the bun she had it in.

"Katie! Oh my God...I"m so sorry, I should have believed you." Gibbs said as he wrapped Kate in his arms.

McGee and DiNozzo burst through the open doors with Ducky following right after them.

"Is she okay boss?" McGee asked in a breathless voice.

"Where's Abby?" Kate asked in a muffled voice, her head still buried in Jethro's shoulder.

"What?" Tony asked in surprise.

"She's the only one who's not here...he knows who we are...he probably knows everything about us." Kate said frantically.

"I'll find her." McGee said as he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Abby's number.

"Really? On a weekend night?" McGee asked in surprise.

"Well...stay there...and I'm on my way." McGee said as he rushed back out the door to go get Abby.

"Kate...tell me everything." Gibbs whispered as he ran a hand through Kate's messy hair.

"He really was in the basement...and at the pizza place, and here..." Kate said in a shaky voice.

"Oh my God Kate....I thought it was just..." Gibbs trailed off.

"Bad dreams...anxiety...a serious head injury, I know." Kate muttered as she broke free of Jethro's embrace suddenly angry at him. She felt it was strange, but warranted, and she suddenly didn't need the comfort of his embrace.

"But...at the same time...as an investigator, you should have listened to me. Where was your famous gut when we needed it?" Kate asked as he cheeks burned bright red and Gibbs could see the anger rising.

"Honey, I'm sorry, but I didn't have any reason to believe, and what's this thing about the pizza place?" Gibbs stopped with a confused look on his face.

"You didn't tell him?" Ducky asked with concern as he eyed Kate.

Kate shook her head no. Now she was the one to blame. If she had fessed up about the pizza incident to Jethro, he would have dug deeper. Now Kate had done more harm than good.

"When I went to get the pizza today...he was there, waiting on me, and he knew about McGee's pepper intolerance. He's been in your house, he's been in my house." Kate said warily as she eyed Jethro.

"Next step. We assume he knows everything about everybody." Tony said quickly.

"Damn straight." Gibbs replied.

"Ducky, where is your mother?" Gibbs asked quickly.

"At home with her care nurse for the evening." Ducky said as he caught Jethro's gaze.

Gibbs pulled out his cell phone and dialed McGee's number.

"McGee, while you're at it, pick up Mrs. Mallard too." Gibbs said curtly before he hung up the phone.

"Ducky...a moment." Gibbs said as he pulled the older Medical Examiner off to the side.

"What do you think their talking about?" Kate asked as she eyed Tony.

"I'm not sure." Tony said as he stared at Kate, a wide grin on his face.

"Pay attention...we're investigators." Kate hissed in a loud whisper.

"I am paying attention." Tony replied as he glanced at Kate's appearance.

"Honestly DiNozzo!" Kate yelled as she smacked the back of Tony's head.

"Sorry Kate." Tony said as he rubbed the back of his head.

"I'm going to change." Kate said as she pushed herself between Ducky and Gibbs so she could make her way to the bedroom.

Kate took two steps into her bedroom when she realized that she had left the water running. Kate ran into her bathroom and was shocked to see that the water had been turned off. The tub was completely full, but the water was off. Kate looked at the faucet and she saw it in black felt-tip pen on one of the tiles.

"You're welcome." The message read in simple block printing.

"Jethro!" Kate screamed, realizing that Ari had made the time to stop into her bathroom somehow, without being noticed.

"Kate?" Gibbs said as he poked his head into the bathroom.

"I was getting the tub filled while I poured my wine. It should be overflowing by now, but it isn't. He turned the water off." Kate explained as a shaky hand pointed towards the tub.

"Your whole house is an active crime scene." Gibbs said as he ushered Kate out of the bathroom.

"I know." Kate replied in a half-daze as she put on pajama pants and a hooded sweatshirt.

"Kate...tell me what you know, about him." Gibbs said as he took Kate's hand in his and gently led her to the bed. They sat down and Kate took a deep breath.

"He's Middle-Eastern. He has a different sort of an accent. I've never heard it before. It sounds like Ducky, but thicker, and more muddled. It's so hard to describe. His name is Ari. I don't have a last name, but right now I'd like to call him Ari Bastard." Kate said as she squeezed Jethro's hand and sighed heavily.

"That's more than we had before. It's a place to start. Do you think you could sketch him?" Gibbs asked as he wrapped one arm around Kate's shoulder.

"Definitely. Three good looks, and trust me...his eyes, he has really beautiful brown eyes, but they're creepy, there's something behind those eyes that terrifies me. I could definitely sketch him." Kate explained.

"Good. Kate, I don't say this often, but I'm serious. I'm so sorry. I can't even begin to describe just how sorry I am. I should have been more careful. I was worried about you after the accident, and everybody told me not to worry, but I guess I really let my guard down this time." Jethro said as he rested his head on Kate's shoulder.

"Jethro...it's fine. I understand, really I do. I can't lie and say that I wasn't upset, because it was frustrating when nobody would listen to me, but it's all over with now. What matters most of all is finding this guy and figuring out why he is such a creep." Kate said as she maintained her grip on Jethro's hand.

"You're right." Gibbs said as he stood up quickly, and helped Kate up.

"We have work to do." Kate said as she flashed Jethro a genuine smile.

"What a relief!" Kate said as she attempted to scrub the wine stain from the beige carpeting in her living room. Kate had glanced up from her intense scrubbing to see Abby's platform shoes standing right by her.

Kate stood up and she and Abby exchanged a glance. McGee had explained everything to Abby in the car, and the two women hugged tightly. They didn't need to say anything.

"Are they a couple?" A female Scottish accent chimed from somewhere in the living room.

"Unfortunately not." DiNozzo replied as Kate and Abby ended their hug just so they could punch Tony.

"Mother!" Ducky scolded sharply.

"Don't be so...old-fashioned in your ideals Donald." Mrs. Mallard said as she looked at her son.

"Mother! That's not the point...this is not the time!" Ducky reprimanded.

Something in Ducky's voice had piqued Kate's interest.

"Ducky...do you sound like that when you're mad?" Kate asked. His voice had been a bit gravely, and combined with his accent it had sounded odd.

"I am not mad Caitlin, I'm just frustrated!" Ducky said as he guided his mother to Kate's couch where she sat down.

"Frustration! That's it...I should have recognized it." Kate said as she looked at her co-workers. Tony was busily dusting the sliding glass door for fingerprints while McGee and Gibbs were getting the camera ready to photograph the bathroom.

"His voice, he's guarding his emotions, he's frustrated." Kate said as she stared at Abby.

"Kate, frustrating a man, like that's never happened." Tony teased.

"Enough!" Four voices yelled in unison.

"This one's on me." Tony said as he smacked his own head.

"Ducky, how many languages do you speak?" Kate asked quickly.

"Seven." Ducky replied.

"Do you speak Hebrew or Arabic?" Kate asked hopefully.

"Both." Ducky replied.

"Speak Hebrew please...say something, anything, but try to be correct in your pronunciation, please." Kate asked politely.

Ducky spoke a bit of Hebrew and Kate's eyes lit up.

"Now Arabic if you will." Kate said as she stood there and listened for anything familiar.

Ducky rattled off some words that Kate didn't understand, but apparently Mrs. Mallard did.

"Donald! I never left you on that bus!" Mrs. Mallard defended herself sharply, and in English.

"That's it! His accent, it's muddled because it's European and Middle Eastern combined. It's a very distinct sound." Kate explained.

"It is a very distinct accent my dear. You're perceptive to have noticed." Ducky complimented.

"But how?" Kate asked.

"Family of course, that's where it all begins." Ducky explained.

"Yeah, maybe one parent is European, and the other isn't." Abby said as she plugged her laptop into an outlet in Kate's dining room.

"Makes sense, he was raised with the customs of more than one culture." Gibbs added.

"He probably speaks several languages." Ducky added.

"I know this is going to sound stupid...or lame or weird or whatever, but he just _seems _intelligent. It's hard to describe. It's like hanging out with Ducky, or McGee, or Abby....they're _so _smart, you can just tell."

"Kate, after you sketch him do you think you can put together a profile?" Jethro asked hopefully as he approached Kate.

"I can, and I will." Kate said triumphantly as she headed to her bedroom to grab her sketch pad.

Silence fell over Kate's house as everybody went about their respective tasks. McGee, Tony, and Jethro collected evidence, while Abby used her laptop to begin searching for any clues. Mrs. Mallard and Ducky sat on the sofa in relative silence until Mrs. Mallard nodded off and her loud snoring resonated through the house.

"Okay...we're done here." Gibbs announced shortly after midnight. He had collected all the evidence he could find, and Abby and Kate had scanned a copy of Kate's sketch to all the law enforcement agencies they could think of.

"Campfire, in the living room." Gibbs added.

The team groaned as they all huddled into Kate's living room.

"Ducky and I have already discussed this. It's not a perfect plan, but it will do for now. I'm really hoping this is a one time only occurrence. We're assuming this guy knows everything about all of us. We're also going to assume he's dangerous. Until I can think of something better we're all staying at Ducky's tonight." Gibbs announced.

He was greeted by a series of groans.

"Listen...we all can have our own rooms, there's plenty of space and it's relatively secluded." Gibbs added.

Abby raised her hand.

"Abby?" Gibbs said as he called on the young forensic scientist.

"So, we're abandoning our homes so this creepy Ari guy can possibly pillage through them all night while they are unoccupied?" Abby questioned the only flaw she had found in Jethro's plan.

"NCIS already has a surveillance car sitting on every house. I called Director Morrow an hour ago. He gets pissed when I don't share this kind of stuff with him." Gibbs explained.

"So if there's a car with Agents why can't I go home?" Abby asked slightly angry.

"Because if something happens the Agents in the car won't get to you quick enough." Kate said pointedly, she had worked enough protection details to understand the flaws.

"Fine." Abby finally said with a pout.

"Clearly, nobody really has any clothes, so we're just going to have to sleep in what we've got." Gibbs added.

"Like any of us are actually going to sleep." McGee muttered.

"We're going to try. We can't let him win. He wants to control us and we will not let it happen." Kate explained.

An hour later the entire team was at Ducky's house and Ducky quickly assigned everybody their rooms. Kate blushed slightly when she realized that she and Jethro were indeed sharing a room.

"Scream if you need anything." Jethro instructed as everybody made their way to their assigned rooms.

"I hope you don't mind." Ducky said as he stood in the hall with Kate and Jethro, just outside the door to the largest guest room.

"Not at all. I don't think that McGee should have to suffer doubled up with Tony." Kate replied quickly as she kissed Ducky goodnight, pretending that there was no ulterior motive.

"It looks like a magazine." Kate said as she flicked on the light.

"His house is really something." Jethro stifled a yawn and looked at his surroundings.

"Sure is." Kate said as she fell back onto the bed.

Kate couldn't believe how quickly she fell asleep. She thought for sure that she wouldn't sleep at all, but in a large comfortable bed with Jethro by her side, she drifted off.

Kate rolled over to see the faintest rays of sun peeking through the heavy curtains. She closed her eyes and drifted back off to sleep. Her eyelids were heavy and she was startled by an ear-piercing scream.

At once, Kate and Jethro both jumped out of bed and drew their weapons. They burst into the hallway to find Tony with his weapon drawn, and he was clad in socks, boxer shorts and his undershirt. Ducky was in a pair of pinstriped pajamas, and he had a large knife. Abby was in her full length nightgown, and she was armed with Bert the hippo. The screams continued coming from McGee's room.

"Tim!" Jethro yelled before he flung open the door.

"What the Hell?" Jethro yelled as he saw Mrs. Mallard curled up, next to Tim.

"Make it stop! I don't want any part of this! I'm not that kind of guy!" Tim said as he shrieked.

"Jealous Matthew?" Mrs. Mallard asked wryly as she kept the covers pulled up over her chin. She was eyeing Gibbs in a way that made the whole room uncomfortable.

"Mother!" Ducky yelled in horror.

"What? Can't a girl have some fun?" Mrs. Mallard asked.

"Mother...garden club is fun, bridge is fun, cocktail hour is fun...this is harassment!" Ducky scolded.

"Let me fetch you a robe." Ducky said as he shuffled out of the room.

"Show's over." Gibbs said as he emptied out the room, just as Ducky returned with a robe.

"Come on mother, back to your own room it is." Ducky said as he led Mrs. Mallard out of the room, her robe tied firmly around her.

"McGee, are you all right?" Tony asked as he peeked into the bedroom.

"Fine." McGee said dryly wishing he could forget the whole incident.

McGee really didn't need Tony's teasing right now, and Tim was happy when Gibbs ordered everybody back to their rooms.

"What was that all about?" Kate asked with a small smile as she and Jethro climbed back into bed.

"Mrs. Mallard wears Chanel to bed." Jethro murmured as he snuggled up to Kate.

"They have lovely pajamas." Kate said. She had seen them in a boutique once, and they were far from affordable.

"Chanel Number Five, and that's it." Gibbs elaborated.

"Oh my God." Kate said as she suppressed a giggle.

"Poor Ducky, he always has to be careful during sleep-overs." Gibbs lamented.

"What...wait, how do you know all of this?" Kate probed.

"I slept her for seven months, while I fought for a house that was rightfully mine." Gibbs explained quickly, eager to move on with the conversation.

"Wow." Kate said as she nodded off.

It was just before ten when Kate's phone rang. She expected her mother, or a friend.

"Hello Caitlin...I trust you slept well...Mallard Manor is rather comfortable." Ari said in his haunting accent before the line went dead.

"Jethro!" Kate hissed.

"Yeah..." Gibbs asked groggily.

"He knows we're here." Kate said as she handed her phone to Gibbs.


	8. When the FBI visits

**Author's Note:** I don't own anything! It's been awhile since I last updated, but please enjoy!

Kate Todd paced back and forth in the long hallway in the downstairs of Ducky's house. She was trying to convert her nervous energy into something useful but so far she had been unsuccessful. The grandfather clock in the library chimed. One p.m. three hours since that bastard had called her, three hours since her life had been turned even more upside down, and so far nothing.

McGee and Abby had worked frantically to trace the calls, while Tony and Gibbs searched Ducky's property for any signs of an intrusion. Kate was keeping watch over the house, and presumably Ducky and Mrs. Mallard as well.

"_Don't let this end up like the last time you protected them._" Kate thought to herself. She grimaced at the thought. She had done her best, but with a clever distraction Kate had been forced to turn her attention solely on Mrs. Mallard, and Ducky had been abducted.

"Nothing...I can't believe it." Gibbs muttered as he made his way through the front door with Tony behind him.

"Yeah...tough break boss." Tony lamented.

"Hey boss!" McGee yelled from the study where he and Abby had set up their computers.

Everybody ran into the study and McGee and Abby were both grinning.

"What is it?" Kate asked shakily.

"This...is big." McGee said proudly as he pointed to the computer screen.

Line after line of computer programming code whizzed past the screen.

"I don't get it." Kate said plainly.

"We knew we hit a dead end when we tried to trace the cell phone call. It definitely came from a burn phone purchased at a local convenience store. I called the pizza shop and had the owner e-mail me a still photo from his surveillance system. I ran the image through the database and that's when this happened..." McGee trailed off as his computer beeped and finally shut down on its own.

"What McGee is trying to say is that somebody out there knows who this guy is...we're talking most likely the CIA. They blocked our search and sent a code to shut down McGee's computer. To do something that intense you've got to be pretty high up the food chain." Abby explained as she exhaled deeply.

The doorbell rang and everybody looked up in surprise.

"Expecting somebody?" Gibbs asked cautiously as he looked at Ducky.

"Not at all." Ducky said as he held his mother's hand, hoping she wouldn't attempt to answer the door.

"I'll get it." Gibbs said as he reached for his weapon and headed towards the front hall.

With his weapon drawn Gibbs slowly opened the front door.

"Jethro...is that any way to greet an old friend?" Tobias Fornell asked as he looked at Gibbs.

"Tobias? What the hell are you doing here?" Gibbs sighed as he re-holstered his weapon and stared past him at the throng of FBI Agents that were scouring Ducky's property.

"DiNozzo and I searched it already." Gibbs said gruffly as Tobias shoved his way into the front hall.

"Just double checking...where are they?" Fornell asked pointedly.

"Second door on the left." Gibbs said as he led Fornell towards the study.

"Our Directors have already been in touch. You were right to keep everybody together last night. Ari Haswari once was a valuable resource now he's a major threat to us." Fornell explained as he made his way into the study.

"You owe me a new computer." McGee said sharply, in a tone that surprised everybody in the room, even himself. He usually wasn't so confrontational but now he was glaring at Fornell.

"Send me a bill." Fornell said as he stared back at McGee.

Right now he had more important things on his mind that McGee's computer.

"What are you doing here?" Kate asked.

"I'm here to brief all of you on a very direct threat." Fornell explained.

"That would have been helpful yesterday." Kate said, naturally defensive in both tone and posture.

"We were unsure of the severity until this morning. Now it appears it is very real." Fornell said as he sighed and looked at Gibbs.

"Ari Haswari was a Mossad operative within Al-Qaeda." Fornell explained.

"Yeah...so?" Abby asked softly.

"He provided Mossad, the CIA and the FBI all with very valuable information until he defected six months ago. Now he is an Al-Qaeda operative, using his knowledge to help them plan something big. Just how big we aren't sure, but for some reason he clearly wants Agent Todd, and we're not going to let that happen." Fornell explained.

"Why me?" Kate asked in shock.

"Believe me, if I knew I'd tell you But we know your service records and personnel files have been compromised. He's smart, and he has a lot of help. He knows everything about your career from the time you got hired up until this very moment." Fornell said as he stared at Kate.

"Whoa...wait a second...you know he wants to kill me, but you don't know why? Come on Fornell I wasn't born yesterday. You have to have some clue." Kate said defensively.

"Kate...calm down..." Jethro whispered in Kate's ear as he wrapped an arm around Kate's waist from behind.

It didn't go unnoticed by Fornell who shot Gibbs a knowing glance. Gibbs just smirked back at his friend, and leaned down to kiss Kate's cheek.

"Listen Kate...nobody is going to let anything happen to you." Gibbs said softly.

"Damn straight." Tony echoed Gibbs' sentiments.

"We're on guard duty 24/7!" Abby exclaimed as she saluted Kate.

"And we're happy to help." McGee said as he mustered a smile.

"You guys are too sweet." Kate said as she wiggled out of Jethro's grasp.

"I suggest that everybody stay here, for as long as it takes." Fornell said as he looked at Ducky.

"You don't mind a few houseguests do you?" Fornell teased the older medical examiner.

"Not a bit!" Ducky said happily. It was always a delight to have his large house full of life and energy, and Team Gibbs.

"Under the request of my director and yours the FBI is taking over security detail. Everybody is to stay inside at all times, until we have this figured out. We have a feeling that this is the pre-amble to a larger attack, possibly something involving the Navy." Fornell explained.

Everybody groaned at the thought of not even being able to set foot outside. Everybody on Team Gibbs was far too active to tolerate such restrictions. They all knew it was for the best, but it didn't seem to make life any easier.

The team was impressed however at Ducky's ability to entertain them. They spent much of the day playing games, conversing, and they all enjoyed a peaceful nap in the late afternoon. Kate slept fitfully as Jethro softly snored beside her. She fell asleep eventually, and woke up startled. She had an odd dream. She had been on Air Force One, and everybody on the flight crew was crying. When Kate asked them why they were all so sad a Steward had pointed to her forehead. Kate made her way to the tiny bathroom reserved for the staff. She examined herself in the mirror and pushed her bangs away to see an entry wound from a bullet right between her eyebrows. Kate glanced back at her reflection to see Ari standing behind her, and he was laughing wickedly. Kate screamed in horror and thrashed through her covers. The image of her own demise had been too much for Kate.

Kate felt two strong hands on her shoulders.

"Honey! Wake up! It's a nightmare." Gibbs whispered as he stilled Kate's frantic movements.

"Oh my God...Jethro...he's going to kill me." Kate panted frantically as Jethro embraced her.

"No he's not...I won't let him." Jethro said as he held Kate tightly while she cried.

"I appreciate that." Kate whispered back as she clung to Jethro.

Ducky made the team a lovely dinner, but they only picked at their food. Nobody really had much of an appetite concerning the circumstances.

"_That's it!_" Kate thought to herself triumphantly as she brushed her teeth later that night.

Kate ran back into the bedroom to find it unoccupied.

"Jethro!" Kate yelled as she bounded down the stairs.

"In here!" Jethro yelled back, and Kate followed the sound of his voice to the kitchen where he and Fornell were eating oatmeal cookies.

"I've got it! I know why he wants me...I have select information nobody else on this team does." Kate panted as she sat down at the kitchen table.

"I have a top-secret clearance too." Jethro mumbled through his mouthful of cookie.

"Yes, but you didn't work on Air Force One for three years. I did." Kate said emphatically.

"And your point?" Fornell pressed.

"There are Agents who go their _entire_ careers without ever setting foot on Air Force One, Marine One, or going into the White House. I've done all three. I have information he wants. He's planning to do something awful. I'm certain of it." Kate said as she sighed heavily.

"I can't believe I never thought of it before." Kate said as she stared at Jethro.

"Your nightmare this afternoon?" Gibbs asked as he glanced at Kate.

"I was on Air Force One....and I had been shot...everybody was crying...except Ari, he was laughing." Kate said as her blood ran cold at the thought.

"If he gets to you...he thinks he can get the information he wants, or needs." Fornell elaborated.

Kate nodded as Jethro closed the gap between them and pulled her off of her chair, wrapping her in a tight hug.

"How could he possibly get to me? With all of you around?" Kate asked as Ducky's house phone rang. The sound startled Kate.

"Mallard residence." Ducky chirpped as he entered the kitchen holding a portable phone in one hand and an empty coffee mug in the other.

"What? Whom?" Ducky asked as he handed the phone off to Kate.

"Hello Kaitlin....mommy and daddy have something they'd like to say." Ari's cold voice taunted through the phone.

"Kate! Katie! Help us please!!!" Kate's mother screamed.

"He's got us tied up!" Her father yelled.

"Mom! Dad! Where are you?" Kate asked as Ari's laughter haunted her ears.

"Kaitlin...let's arrange a little meeting. Why don't you come to Indiana so we can chat about your early career? I promise I'll be nice to your mommy and daddy if you help me." Ari taunted.

"I"m not telling you a damn thing." Kate muttered.

"That's too bad." Ari replied as he hung up.

"Slick bastard!" Kate screamed.

"What's going on?" Ducky asked still befuddled that somebody would call his home looking for Kate.

"He's got my parents. Ari has them, they're tied up. They're in Indiana...I don't know where, but he said he wanted to meet me and talk about my career...he's going to kill them." Kate frantically said as she stared up at Gibbs, biting her lower lip nervously.

"Not on my watch." Gibbs said as he steadied Kate by placing two firm hands on her shoulders.


	9. Indiana

**Author's Note:** I don't own anything! I apologize for the delay in updates...life got pretty crazy here, and to be completely honest I had a bit of writer's block. So here it is....please enjoy! I know the chapter is a bit lengthy but I felt I couldn't skimp on details, and I didn't have the heart to split the excitement into two chapters.

"This is a nightmare." Kate muttered quietly as Jethro gently rested his hand in hers. He was trying to keep her calm, which at the moment was no easy task.

"Kate...it's going to be okay, they've already got people there..." Jethro said reassuringly over the noise of the plane.

"It's a Gulfstream!" DiNozzo yelled happily from the opposite couch.

"Shut up Tony!" Kate yelled. Now was hardly the time. It had been nice of SecNav to lend his Jet out, but his options seemed pretty limited at the moment.

"I just got a briefing from the Indiana State Police. They're sending a SWAT team, and the FBI is coming in for backup. We've got people on their way...a car will be waiting for us when we land." McGee said as he closed his laptop.

"Are they at the house?" Kate asked worriedly.

"It appears so." McGee said.

Kate shuddered at the thought of Ari invading her childhood home and tying her parents up.

"As soon as we land I'll turn my computer and phone back on." McGee explained as the intercom chimed and the pilot prepared to land the plane.

"Thanks Tim." Kate said clenching her jaw in frustration. She had a bad feeling about all of this, gnawing in the pit of her stomach.

"Damnit!" Kate yelled aloud, frustrated that she hadn't thought of it before

"What?" Jethro asked as they exited the plane.

"I think Ari works alone but what if he doesn't?" Kate said as she looked up at Jethro.

"Then he'll lead us to his cell." Jethro said quickly, trying to keep Kate relaxed.

"No! If he got to my parents he can get to anybody! I have three brothers and a sister!" Kate was exasperated, terrified that Ari or his accomplices if he had any would hurt her siblings.

"We'll get surveillance on all their homes as soon as possible." McGee reassured Kate as he stood behind her.

"Thanks Tim....my sister she's in Florida, my brothers are still in Indiana their addresses are in my file....which I know you have downloaded to you hard drive." Kate looked dourly at McGee as she said it.

"Wwwhaat?" Tim's lip trembled as he stared at Kate.

"You know it's not a rose." Kate said as she folded her arms and scowled at McGee.

"Wow! McProbastalker...creepin' up on Kate's files." Tony teased.

"Ummm....I"ll make it up to you by looking up everyone's addresses and sending local police out as details and escorts?" McGee stammered.

"Damn right you will." Kate replied.

"By the way I want two officers around the clock...they go nowhere alone...especially my sister." Kate added.

"Hello, I'm special Agent Jethro Jenkins." A tall man with sunglasses and an FBI windbreaker held out his hand as Kate and Jethro stood on the tarmac.

"What?" Kate said as she looked up at Gibbs in surprise.

"Jethro Gibbs." Gibbs announced proudly.

"No way...too cool, finally after thirty eight years..." Agent Jenkins grinned as he smiled at Gibbs.

"Finally...I meet another Jethro." Gibbs said as he shook hands with the man.

"Well...it's good to know my parents aren't the only insane ones...." Agent Jenkins trailed off.

"Agent Todd, I presume...nice to meet you but not under these circumstances of course." Agent Jenkins said as he shook Kate's hand.

"Let's roll." Kate said as she pointed towards the black SUV that was waiting for them.

"Update me." Kate demanded as Agent Jenkins sped towards her parent's house.

"We've determined they're in the kitchen. Three people. He's made no attempt to contact us, but we had one SWAT guy get close enough to place some audio surveillance. He seems to know a lot about you Agent Todd, he keeps focusing on your early career. Ari wants to talk to you." Agent Jenkins explained.

"We're going to do more than talk." Kate growled as they pulled up a long tree-lined driveway.

"Seven people lived in this house?" Tony said in shock as he looked at the well kept but tiny home.

"You bet. Two bathrooms." Kate muttered as she opened her door, the SUV barely stopping.

Kate ran towards the house, through the throng of law enforcement and SWAT officers that had converged on her parent's property.

"Kate!" Jethro Gibbs yelled.

"What are you doing?" Gibbs asked breathless as he looked up at Kate.

"I'm going in." Kate said quickly.

"The hell you are." Gibbs growled.

"The hell I'm not!" Kate protested as she continued to run towards the house.

"At least wear a wire." Gibbs suggested as he followed Kate.

"Hell no. He'll check...it will only antagonize him. I'm going in alone, unarmed." Kate explained as she unholstered her weapon and handed it to Gibbs.

"Kate it's suicide." Jethro warned.

"I will do anything for my family! I guess that's something you just don't understand!" Kate yelled as she looked up in Jethro's eyes.

For a split second Kate saw his stubborness melt, it was replaced with anguish, that she couldn't place.

"Don't worry about me...Ari's the only one coming out in a body bag." Kate said as she ran towards the house.

"Kate! Is that you?!" Katherine Todd's voice rang out through the kitchen and into the front hall.

"It is." Kate said plainly as she entered the kitchen.

It was terrifying to see her parents tied to kitchen chairs, their ankles bound together with electrical tape.

"Hi guys...how's it going?" Kate asked dejectedly. It was lame, but it was all she could think of to say.

"Ummm....I've had better days." Kevin Todd said as he looked up at his daughter.

Kate looked around.

"Where are you...you bastard?" Kate demanded that Ari make himself present.

"Right here." Ari announced proudly as he entered the kitchen from the living room.

"Wow...they even brought in a helicopter...I feel so special." Ari said as he stared at Kate.

"Let them go!" Kate demanded.

"Awwww...Kaitlin, you know I can't do that...not until we talk about your early career." Ari cooed as Kate stood in the kitchen, her hands balled into tight fists, angry and frustrated.

"What do you want to know?" Kate asked.

"The floorplans for Air Force One." Ari replied succinctly.

"It's been a few years, I don't remember." Kate said blandly.

"Not likely. Every Agent who flies is required to memorize that aircraft." Ari shot back.

"Fine...fine...fine I guess I have no choice." Kate muttered.

"I guess you don't." Ari replied as he pulled a chair out from the kitchen table and motioned for Kate to sit.

Reluctantly Kate sat as Ari knelt in front of her.

"Tell me everything." Ari pleaded in a low voice, his brown eyes staring up at Kate.

"Okay...there's ummm a lot, where should I begin?" Kate stammered, trying to buy some time.

"At the very beginning." Ari said mockingly.

"Well...there's a cockpit...and usually a pilot...a good one. Sometimes there is a co-pilot but only if the pilot wants to take a nap." Kate was sarcastic as she said it, but oddly calm.

"So this is how it's going to be?" Ari growled as he stood up.

"Sure is." Kate replied.

Ari stood behind Kate's father now.

"Anything else?" Ari asked cooly.

"Yeah...rot in Hell." Kate replied.

Ari's hand swiftly collided with the side of Kevin Todd's cheek. Kate's father grimaced slightly but didn't show any other outward sign of pain.

"Don't tell him anything!" Kevin yelled.

"Don't worry Daddy...I won't." Kate said, hoping to quell the fear that was rising within her.

"Now Kaitlin be a good girl...ignore Daddy...tell me more." Ari was menacing in tone and demeanor as he stood behind Kate's parents.

"Well there's a bathroom, several actually...and there was this one really comfy couch that I liked...a lot, I used to sit on it and do paperwork." Kate smiled as she said it.

Within less than a second a swift smack fell across Katherine Todd's face.

"Listen to your father Kate!" Katherine yelled as she forced herself to ignore the pain.

"Oh, what loyal parents you have Kaitlin....I wouldn't want them to die over loyalty." Ari grinned as he lifted up his shirt to reveal a snugly holstered handgun.

"We're not traitors to our country!" Kate yelled in exasperation.

"Oh, just give it time...." Ari chuckled.

"You're such a bast-....." Kate was interrupted by the sound of her cell phone ringing.

"Answer it, maybe it's your precious Jethro." Ari snarled.

"Who's Jethro?" Kevin Todd asked.

"My boss." Kate said quickly.

"Her lover." Ari added as Kate scowled at him.

"Kate Todd." Kate answered her phone in a chirpy tone, hoping nobody would sense her distress.

"Kate! What is going on?! Are you out of your mind or something? I just had three cops show up at my house. They were rambling on about National Security and escorts and surveillance...is this some kind of prank?" Kate's sister asked angrily.

"No, it's not a prank at all. I'm here with Mom and Dad and a terrorist. We're in the kitchen. Mom and dad are tied up, but he's let me stay loose, which is really weird, but I'm totally okay with it. Don't worry I've sent escorts to Charlie, Joe, and Michael too." Kate explained calmly.

"Kate! You're insane! This is what happens when women try to do men's work.....If only you had just stayed in law school, we'd all be better off." Kate's baby sister topped off her rant with a dramatic sigh.

"Sasha! Really, I don't have time for your dramatics. Stay with your escorts please! Call the boys and tell them we're fine." Kate pleaded with her sister.

"Fine...by the way what kind of terrorist is he?" Sasha asked.

"Ummm...I'm pretty sure he's with Hamaas." Kate said hoping to trap Ari somehow.

She saw the fire in his eyes, and knew she was wrong. It had been a clever trap...and Kate now had the answer she was looking for.

"Well...ummm call me when this is all over?" Sasha suggested not really sure of what to say.

"Thanks." Kate said as she hung up her phone.

"How's Sasha?" Kate's mother asked.

"Dramtic as usual. She's not handling the escort thing so well." Kate said as if it were a natural conversation about the weather or some other everyday topic.

"Not surprised...she was always the dramatic one." Kevin Todd sighed as he said it.

"Is she as beautiful as our precious Kaitlin? If so she should try acting. It might suit her better." Ari chimed in.

"Ari?" Kate said as she looked up into the dark brown eyes of the man holding her family hostage.

"Yes?" Ari asked as he turned to look at Kate.

"I'm ready." Kate said with a heavy sigh.

"Ready for what?" Ari asked hesitantly.

"The plans...I'll never give them to you, we both know that, but on the internet there's a lot of speculation...a lot of theory about how the aircraft is designed and where everything is. Truth be told some websites are better than others. We used to have our technology interns watch over the websites we wanted to make sure nobody got too close. Some of them are incredibly accurate. If you let me get on the internet I'll lead you to the best website. Fair enough? It's the best you're ever going to get from me." Kate said it calmly, and she kept trying to reassure herself that it would all be all right in the end.

Ari hesitated for a moment then he looked at Kevin Todd.

"You have the internet here?" Ari questioned.

"Yes? How else could we e-mail our children?" Kate's father replied.

"Where is the computer?" Ari asked.

"Right down the hall, in the office." Kate answered.

"All right...change of plans...let's all move to the office." Ari said cooly as he moved to untie Kate's parents from the chairs. The electrical tape made an awful noise as Ari sliced through it.

"You're letting us go?" Katherine Todd asked in surprise.

"Only at gunpoint." Ari reminded her as he held up his weapon.

Ari walked behind the trio as Kate led them to the small home office her parents had.

"Good! It's already on!" Kate exclaimed aloud as she sat in the desk chair.

"No tricks Kaitlin." Ari said in a low voice as he kept his weapon pointed at Kate's parents who were now sitting on the floor.

"No tricks." Kate said solemnly as she looked at her parents.

It was odd, Kate thought to herself, her parents looked more tired than scared or frustrated. It seemed that they had more resolve than Kate had ever realized. Kate took a deep breath and steadied herself.

"Here we go..." Kate said as she trailed off, clacking around on the keyboard wildly hoping that the website was still up.

"Wonderful...now move!" Ari yelled as he pointed the gun at Kate.

"This is amazing...and you say it's accurate?" Ari directed his questions to Kate.

"Yes...almost scarily so. Kept the Secret Service on edge knowing a lot of this stuff was out there." Kate mumbled as Ari looked at the blueprints.

Kate jumped when the sound of the printer startled her.

"These are mine." Ari said as he pulled the fresh blueprints off the printer.

"Fix them." Ari demanded as he shoved the floorplans in front of Kate.

"What?" Kate asked in surprise.

"You said they're only partially accurate. Fix them." Ari said as he pointed to a pen lying on the computer desk.

"Fine." Kate said with a heavy sigh.

"Must you look over my shoulder?" Kate grumbled as she felt Ari's hot breath on her neck.

"Yes." He whispered in a low voice that sent chills up and down her spine.

Kate was aware that time was passing. She kept wondering, hoping, and praying. What was Jethro doing? When were they going to enter the house? She was hoping sooner rather than later. Maybe Jethro had been right, going in unarmed with no clue as to what was actually happening in the house was suicide. There was some sort of audio surveillance, but that had been set up near the kitchen, and Kate doubted that it worked so far away. Sooner or later this would end, most likely with the SWAT Team entering the home and killing Ari.

"Done." Kate said proudly as she handed Ari the revised blueprints.

"Katie! Don't!" Her mother pleaded.

"Mom it's for the best!" Kate replied as she felt the cold metal of Ari's gun press into her back.

"Get up." Ari whispered.

"Hands on your heads." Ari directed Kate's parents who complied immediately.

"Bathroom." Ari directed as Kate's father led them towards the small downstairs bathroom.

"Good...no windows...I like that." Ari said with a wicked grin as they piled into the tiny bathroom.

"This won't end in your favor." Kate reminded Ari as he began pulling hand towels out of the closet.

"I doubt that." Ari replied as he motioned for Kate to turn around.

Kate complied and soon her hands and feet were bound with the towels, tied so tightly that her wrists instantly hurt. Ari did the same with her mother and father.

"One last thing...." Ari said as he pulled three more towels out of the closet.

"No." Kate said shaking her head as Ari gagged her mother, then father with the towels.

"Enough protesting." Ari said as he took his weapon and shot Kevin Todd in the foot.

Kate's father howled in pain through his homemade gag. A pool of blood oozed beneath his sock, and slowly onto the bathroom floor.

"You bastard! You should have shot me!" Kate yelled.

"I will someday." Ari said as he forced Kate to the floor and tied the gag in her mouth. He reached for the lightswitch and the bathroom went dark.

A loud bang resonated through the small bathroom, and then a cloud of fog. Kate knew the SWAT Team wasn't far behind. They had most likely heard the gunshot and now Kate's father would be safe. They'd get him to a hospital and he'd be okay. Ari would be dead in a matter of seconds.

Kate waited for more noise, and the silence was deafening. Her eyes stung from the fog, and slowly adjusted to the dark. She could make out shapes and shadows, but barely.

The smoke kept clearing and Kate eventually stood up and tried desperately to open the door from behind her. It was no use, the door was locked, somehow Ari had barricaded them in the bathroom.

"Where is the SWAT team?" Kate wondered again, trying desperately not to panic.

A moan echoed through the small bathroom. Kate realized it was her father, and he was slumped against the vanity.

"MMMhwhph!" Kate grunted through her gag.

"Grmmmpwhp!" Kevin Todd replied as Kate knelt next to her father, and realized that she was kneeling in a pool of his blood.

"Mmmph." Kate tried to communicate.

"Wwwmmp!" Kate's mom replied somewhere in the darkness.

Kate knew it was almost cruel, but her actions would save her father's life most likely. She did the only thing she could think of and sat on his foot.

A painful groan hit Kate's ears and she winced. With her hands and feet tied it was going to be impossible to try anything else. She hoped the pressure from her body weight would slow the bleeding.

Kate waited for any sign of a rescue but none came. Her hope was fading. She couldn't tell if her parents were conscious or not. Nobody had made any noise in quite sometime.

Just as Kate was trying to figure out some sort of a plan she heard the sweetest noise in the world, the sound of glass breaking, and a door being kicked in, and lastly shots being fired.

"Get on the ground!" Voices rang out as Kate could hear the SWAT team breaking through the house.

Kate mumbled and yelled as best she could, her mother finally chiming in and lastly, her father's weakening mumbles. It was like the movies Kate thought to herself as she sat on her father's foot, in slow motion and very dramatic as the door to the tiny bathroom was finally kicked in.

"We found them!" Voices rang out in cheers as the SWAT team poured into the tiny bathroom hurriedly untying Kate and her parents.

"He's been shot!" Kate panted, her jaw, wrists and ankles all sore and stiff.

"I sat on him to try and keep the bleeding down!" Kate yelled.

"The medics are on their way!" A voice yelled from behind the commotion and Kate recognized it as Tony's.

Kate glanced at her father when the lights came on, he was pale, and barely conscious.

"Get them out of here!" A voice yelled as two officers helped Kate and her mother out of the bathroom.

"Kate you okay?" Tony asked as he led Kate back outside.

"Fine...take care of my dad...somebody please!" Kate yelled as she noticed several paramedics running into the house.

"Kate he'll be fine." Jethro said reassuringly as he appeared behind her.

"I hope so." Kate said as she fell into Jethro's arms desperate for the comfort of his embrace.

"He will. There's lots of good people here, who are going to help him." Jethro said as he rubbed Kate's shoulders gently and kissed her cheek where a bright red mark still existed from her gag.

"Mom! Mom!" Kate yelled suddenly fearful of where her mother was.

"I'm over here." Kate's mom said calmly. Kate broke off her hug with Jethro to see McGee talking to her mom.

"Are you fine?" Kate asked.

Katherine Todd nodded.

"I'm just worried about your father." Kate's mom replied as Ducky joined the group.

"He's being flown to Indianapolis, he's lost a lot of blood." Ducky said calmly as he reached out to hug Kate.

"But he'll be fine." Kate said quickly, trying to convince herself.

Ducky lowered his gaze. He had seen the bathroom floor, and he was fearful that more of Kevin Todd's blood was on the floor than inside him.

"No! No! That bastard can't do this to us!" Kate yelled.

"Kate..come on, calm down." Jethro said as he reached for her hand.

"At least he's dead." Kate mumbled quietly in the sparse waiting room at the hospital. It was two hours later and Kate and her mother along with Ducky, Tony and Gibbs had been flown to the hospital to wait while Kate's father was in surgery.

"What?" Tony asked slightly confused.

"Ari...at least he's dead. This wasn't all in vain." Kate elaborated.

Tony looked at Gibbs, then at Ducky. The three men exchanged a worried look.

"What the Hell is going on?" Kate demanded.

"Kate...I'm not sure how to say this...." Tony began.

"He got away." Gibbs said quietly.

"How?" Kate asked in a tiny whisper as she gripped her mother's hand.


	10. Fine

**Author's Note:** I don't own Anything!

Kate was still in shock over the news that Ari was still alive when Tobias Fornell and McGee made their way into the waiting room.

"Any news yet?" McGee asked hopefully.

Kate shook her head no.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Fornell chimed in.

"How the Hell did he get away?!" Kate demanded angrily as she looked at Fornell.

"We're not sure, we're trying to piece that together right now, but we had that property surrounded. I swear." Fornell replied.

"If somebody let him get away..." Kate trailed off.

"We would never let him get away..." Tobias interjected.

"I will have somebody's head on a platter." Kate continued undeterred as she clutched her mother's hand.

"Kate...listen I know this is really difficult and this is hardly the time to ask, but we need you to tell us everything that happened. It might help with the investigation." McGee said calmly as he sat across from Kate.

"And then we'll need your mother's statement too." Fornell added.

"I went into the house...mom and dad were tied up. When I refused to give him the plans for Air Force One he kept hitting them. My sister called in the middle of all of that. She was being really dramatic about the whole police escort thing...I got the idea to try and trap Ari. He's not with Hamas. He must be with Al- Qaeda I confirmed what you already know, what you told us at Ducky's earlier. Definetly Al- Qaeda. Now he just knows that I know." Kate paused for a breath.

"He kept pressuring me for the plans, all the while threatening to shoot my parents. I kept refusing and finally I explained that a lot of people on the internet like to speculate. That there are some web sites out there with pretty close floor plans. I lured him to the computer and told him that the Secret Service keeps track of stuff like that because if a website ever got the exact plans we could shut them down. I told him I'd print the plans from the website that was the closest and correct them." Kate heaved a sigh and looked up at Fornell.

"You gave him the plans?" Fornell asked in shock.

"No. One of our interns had this bright idea to set up all kinds of false web sites...about conspiracy theories, trivia, transportation blueprints, building floor plans and travel plans that were all false. It was our way of keeping track of internet traffic. Leading the real oddballs astray. The higher ups loved it so much we kept the web sites running. The kid did an entire thesis on it. The one site has dummy plans for the plane. They're wrong and all screwed up but people on the internet widely regard them as the closest to reality. I printed the plans and he asked me to correct them. And I did sort of. I replaced kitchens for supply closets, bathrooms for the one lounge where the staff sits...that sort of thing...he really has no way of knowing, and it kept us alive." Kate explained.

"Wow...that's smart." McGee said in awe of his co-worker.

"McGee...one more thing...if I turned a webcam on would you be able to recover the images?" Kate asked.

"It depends." McGee replied honestly.

"When we got into the office I turned on the webcam and the audio using the keyboard functions I programmed. The red light on Mom and dad's webcam doesn't work. I dropped it when I was trying to install it, and for some reason the record light hasn't worked since then. I was hoping to be able to record for just a few minutes, it might help us...it was just an idea." Kate grumbled.

"It was a damn smart idea." McGee said with a small smile.

"Really?" Kate asked feeling better, even for brief moment.

"It's got to be on their hard drive...somewhere. If the computer is still on and hasn't been touched I can probably recover the footage." McGee replied confidently.

"After we left the office we were herded into the bathroom. When Ari tried to gag us I protested...and then he shot dad in the foot." Kate explained as she looked at her mom, then at Jethro and fought back tears.

"Maybe if I hadn't said something Daddy wouldn't be hurt." Kate added softly.

"Honey..." Kate's mom cooed reassuringly as she hugged her daughter.

"Mrs. Todd, is there anything you can add?" Fornell pressed.

"Not really, it was just a normal day until there was some random person in my kitchen, holding us hostage. He kept saying not to worry, that Katie would be there soon...I told him to leave her out of this but he kept insisting on seeing Kate." Katherine Todd tried to suppress her tears as she said it.

"Fornell...you have got to find him...this is absurd." Kate said dourly.

"Kate we're trying." Fornell replied.

"Tobias...how exactly did he get away if the property was surrounded?" Gibbs asked.

"We're working on it." Fornell gritted his teeth as he looked at Jethro and said it.

"Pardon me." A loud voice resonated through the waiting room.

Kate looked up to see a middle age bald man with wire-rimmed glasses standing in the doorway.

"I'm Doctor Miller, your father is out of surgery." The man explained as he looked at Kate.

"And?" Kate pressed as she looked at her mother.

"He lost a lot of blood. The wound itself isn't bad...the time that lapsed between being shot and getting treatment was far too long for my liking. We were able to save his foot. He is stable though. I'd love to say that he'd be fine but time will tell. His body seems to be accepting the transfusions well. That's a good sign, Right now I'd classify his condition as cautiously optomisitic." The doctor explained.

Kate looked at her mother, searching for a reaction.

Finally, in a quiet voice Katherine Todd spoke.

"My prayers have been heard...for the time being." Katherine said as she stood up to go visit her husband.

"Kate...honey...are you okay?" Jethro asked as he moved to the seat Kate's mother had occupied.

"I'm fine...we're fine...it's all going to be fine...." Kate said as she stared blankly at Jethro.

"Boss...you better come check this out." Tony said as he hung up his phone. Kate hadn't even noticed he had taken a call.

"I'm not leaving Kate, you and McGee go handle it." Gibbs said in a firm tone.

"Fine." Tony said as he motioned for McGee to join him.

"What's going on?" McGee asked.

"They found Ari's escape route." Tony explained.


	11. Hideaway

**Author's Note:** I don't own anything! Once again, I apologize for the length between updates!

"What do you mean you forgot about it?!" Tony asked in dismay as he stared at a dumbfounded Kate.

"Yeah, I would have killed to have one of these in high school." McGee added.

"Like you ever socialized." Tony bit back as he punched McGee's upper arm.

"Shut up Tony!" Kate barked.

She stood staring at the small cubby that led to the tunnel that eventually ended up in the woods behind Kate's house.

"I can't believe it....this is unreal." Gibbs whispered in Kate's ear, he was just as shocked as her.

"I can't believe I forgot about it until this moment...I used to sneak in and out all the time...no matter how many times my dad reminded us that the tunnel was dangerous and old...parties and late nights seemed way more important then..." Kate trailed off as she heaved a sigh.

"You know what this means..." Gibbs said as he looked at Kate.

"Yep...he's been following my parents and I for a very, very long time." Kate said as she looked at her shoes, unable to believe that Ari had discovered her favorite hideway as a child, and then later the route she would take to sneak in and out of the house.

"It was part of the Underground Railroad...our house is small because it's so old...I found this one day when I was six or seven. We would play in the cubby area..." Kate explained as she pointed to the corner of a closet that opened up into a smaller hidden room inside the wall of the house.

"Later on in high school all of us kids used it to sneak in and out...that was until the very last time." Kate rolled her eyes and looked at her shoes again.

"What happened then?" McGee asked out of curiosity.

"My dad caught me hanging out in the tunnel." Kate said as a faint blush hit her cheeks.

"That's not so bad, although he's probably right it's structurally unsafe." McGee reasoned.

"You were just hanging out and you got busted? That's pretty lame." Tony said as Kate's cheeks turned a deep red.

"Unless!" Tony exclaimed.

"Unless what?" Kate said as she folded her arms and stared at Tony.

"You were doing something bad!" Tony said triumphantly.

"Kate were you bad in high school?" McGee asked in surprise, he couldn't imagine sweet Kate doing anything wrong.

"It was nothing..." Kate said lamely as she stared at Gibbs, hoping he would rescue her by barking orders.

Gibbs looked mildly amused and failed to rescue Kate.

"Come on...just tell us how awful can it be?" Abby asked as she appeared behind the group, ready to collect any evidence.

"He found my stash." Kate said in a low voice, failing to make eye contact with anybody.

"Stash of what?" Abby asked with a smile.

"Cigarettes." Kate replied weakly, ashamed of her now extinct bad habit.

"That's not so awful...I tried a cigarette once, and I got sick." Abby said sympathetically as she looked at Kate.

"Okay let's bag and tag!" Gibbs exclaimed.

Everybody scurried around working to collect fingerprints and other evidence if there was any to be found.

"What was his name?" Gibbs whispered as he and Kate walked away.

"Who?" Kate replied, unsure of what was going on.

"The guy." Gibbs clarified.

"What guy?" Kate hissed back in a shrill whisper.

"The one your dad caught you with in the tunnel." Gibbs clarified.

Kate turned beet red...she loved Jethro but she _hated_ this. He always had some way of figuring people out.

"See...nobody blushes like that about cigarettes." Gibbs chuckled as Kate swatted him on the shoulder.

"Just tell me." Gibbs said with his trademark grin.

"Luke." Kate said as she turned around and headed towards the kitchen.

"You okay?" Gibbs asked an hour and a half later. He rested a gentle hand on Kate's shoulder as she sat at the kitchen table attempting to process everything that had happened.

"I want to go back to the hospital." Kate said in a low voice.

"Let's go." Gibbs said simply as Kate stood up.

"What are all these people doing here?" Jethro asked as they made their way into a very crowded hospital room.

"This is my family...my immediate family." Kate clarified.

"Sasha?" Kate asked in astonishment as she saw her little sister leaning over their father.

"Kate." Sasha said cooly as she folded her arms and looked up at her older sister.

"Hey Kate." Three voices chorused as Kate's brothers all hugged her simultaneously.

"Need...air...now..." Kate grunted as her brothers ended their long hug.

"Do you know what it's like to get on a plane when you have a police escort? Do you know what that's like to try and explain?" Sasha bantered as she looked at Kate.

"Yeah, actually I do." Kate said as she glanced around the room. Standing in the far corner was a middle-aged man with thin brown hair silent, and just observing the Todd family.

"That's why you should have let him do the talking." Kate said as she pointed to the man.

"Hey...I'm Agent Kate Todd by the way." Kate smiled as she extended a hand to the man in the corner.

"Cole Edison...US Marshall's Service." The man replied as he shook Kate's hand.

"Thanks for putting up with her." Kate whispered.

The man just chuckled and looked at Kate warily. He knew her story, Secret Service, NCIS and now she was being hunted by a terrorist.

"Daddy...how are you?" Kate asked as she approached her groggy father.

"I've had better days Katie." Kate's father replied hoarsely

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Kate said as she looked at her father and forced herself to stop crying.

"He used the old tunnel and hideout to escape." Gibbs explained.

"I should have boarded that thing up." Kate's dad replied.

"The tunnel!? No way! I completely forgot about that thing until now." Sasha added dramatically.

"It's okay Daddy we're going to find him." Kate whispered back as she leaned over to gently hug her father

"I know you will...you always were a fighter." Kate's father said as a nurse came in and obnoxiously ordered everybody out for the evening.

Kate's family stood in the hallway looking at her expectantly, as if she should have something to say to them.

"Guys listen...I'm sorry this is all going to be a giant pain in the ass for a few days. We're going to catch him, and everything will be back to normal." Kate explained.

Later that evening Kate and Jethro flopped onto the guest bed at her parent's house.

"This is a freakin' nightmare." Kate whispered as she cuddled up tight to Gibbs.

"I know." Jethro whispered as he ran his hand through Kate's hair.

Kate finally fell asleep, but the sound of her phone ringing woke her up. She didn't recognize the number on the caller ID, so she shook Jethro, and put the call on speaker phone.

"Hello Kaitilin." It was Ari.

Kate rolled her eyes and looked at Jethro...he was going to haunt them forever.

"You really should call off all of those pesky security details." Ari said plainly.

"Why?" Kate pressed as she looked up at Gibbs.

"Because it's you I want to kill." Ari said as he hung up the phone.

Kate looked up at Jethro, and for the first time since this charade had begun she could see fear in his eyes.


	12. Gone Baby, Gone

**I still don't own it!**

*****TWO MONTHS LATER*****

"Ready?" Kate asked as she stood up from her desk and grabbed her purse.

"Yep." DiNozzo said as he let out a yawn and stretched.

"I really appreciate this." Kate said as the two headed towards the elevator.

"I can't understand how you haven't gone insane yet." Tony lamented as they headed towards the parking lot.

"I'm pretty close. That's why you're taking me to my place so I can grab a few things, then we're heading over to Gibbs' he's going to be so surprised!" Kate said happily.

"I just hope he doesn't hate me. Normally he'd drive all the way back in here just to get you, but he had that appointment today that he won't tell anybody about." Tony said as they got into his car.

"He'd never hate you, and besides I'm sure he understands that for just five minutes I can take care of myself. It's Gibbs, and he's always grumpy the day of his annual physical." Kate said reassuringly.

"I'm just glad my dad is fine. Really every time I get annoyed with being followed all day and all night I think of that. Something really awful could have happened. We're lucky." Kate added.

"How's he doing by the way?" Tony asked.

"Physical therapy is going well, but at his age he'll probably limp for the rest of his life." Kate heaved a sigh as she said it and reached over to turn the radio on.

"Clear." Tony announced proudly after he had given Kate's apartment the once over.

"You stay here." Kate said as she headed towards her bedroom. She was grabbing a few personal items and she didn't need Tony harassing her.

Kate closed her bedroom door just to be sure Tony wouldn't spy and she began going through her drawers and taking out underwear, and the few things she hadn't already taken to Jethro's. It was exhausting and annoying to be followed everywhere, but Ari's harassing had taken on a new dimension, he seemed to know where she was at all times, and besides inquiring about her father's recovery when he called her, Ari had left Kate's family alone.

Kate relished the moment alone. It was peaceful, her nicely decorated bedroom, her comfy bed just waiting to be used again. Hopefully they would find Ari soon.

Kate's peace was shattered by the sound of glass breaking. She barely had a chance to turn around when someone grabbed her from behind and wrapped a gloved hand around her mouth.

"Scream and I'll shoot you..." A low voice whispered. Kate recognized the voice and her eyes flashed with terror.

"Kate! Kate!" Tony screamed as he pounded on her bedroom door.

Kate's expression paled when she looked at the bedroom door and realized she had locked it.

"Old habits die hard." Kate thought as she struggled against her captor, but realized he was much, much stronger than she had estimated.

Kate felt something cold prick her arm, and then burn through her veins. She could tell somewhere in the distance Tony was going to shoot the lock off of her bedroom door. Kate tried to struggle again, but she felt clumsy and decided there were two assailants just as her world went mercifully black.

"Kate!" Tony screamed as he shot the lock, and burst into her now empty bedroom, her sheets rumpled, a half-packed bag on the bed, a dresser drawer open, and shattered glass from her window everywhere.

"What the hell?" Tony asked dumbfounded as he stared out the second-story window.

How somebody could jump and hold Kate from that height was beyond his comprehension. There was nobody in sight, how they had gotten away quickly was almost impossible. Just as he was about to get sick Tony realized he had to call Gibbs.

"I'll be right there." Gibbs growled as he hung up.

Tony had explained everything, trying not to panic but fearing the worst.

"Boss...if anything happens to her I'll never forgive myself." Tony said sadly as he sat in Gibb's basement three days later. The search for Kate Todd had turned up very few leads, and now everybody at NCIS feared the worst.

"If she's gone...I'll kill you." Gibbs said as he walked past Tony and upstairs to be left alone.


	13. Roses and New Directors

"Turn it off Tony...I"ve heard enough." McGee said sadly.

"I'm sorry...it's just like...a train...wreck." DiNozzo said absentmindedly.

"You can't look away but you want to." Ducky said as he stood behind the two agents, who were staring at the plasma screen.

"Turn it off!" Abby screeched as she made her way into the bullpen.

Out of the whole group Abby had been taking it the worst, besides Gibbs anyhow.

"Just a second." Tony said as the report looped again.

"Today at two p.m. NCIS and other officials have confirmed that the burned remains of a female found in a house fire in Alexandria are that of NCIS Special Agent Kaitlin Todd. Agent Todd was kidnapped from her home eight weeks ago. It appears that Agent Todd was the victim of now deceased serial Killer Joseph Ephram. It is believed that Ephram burned his own house while still inside, as he knew FBI and local police were closing in on their investigation of him. ZNN will continue to bring you updates as they are available." The newscaster said it all so fluidly as if it were that simple, and not tragic at all.

Tony turned the TV off and stared at the group around him.

"This is going to suck...has anyone seen Gibbs?" The senior agent asked.

"He umm...he went to umm....get flowers." McGee stumbled over his words as he looked at Abby. He hated to see her so upset.

"Flowers?" Ducky asked in surprise.

"Yeah...to take to the house...where Kate died apparently family members of the other victims are setting up a makeshift shrine at the edge of the property." McGee explained.

"We should go too." Abby said as she fought back tears.

"I think this is something Jethro needs to do on his own." Ducky said as he reached out to hug Abby.

Abby nodded as she hugged Ducky and began to sob.

Jethro Gibbs squinted in the dark light of MTAC. He was frustrated that he was here, when he should have been buying flowers. At the last moment Director Morrow had grabbed him and said that his presence in MTAC was necessary, and it was urgent.

"Back off of Haswari, you've got no beef with him now." Morrow ordered.

"But sir, with all do respect he's been hostile to our country and tormented Kate's family as well as my team... he shot her father, I will go after him." Jethro replied.

"It's my last official order, and you better follow it." Morrow said sternly.

"Last order?" Gibbs questioned.

"I'm leaving...going to Homeland Security." Morrow explained dryly as Jethro stared at the screen in front of him, now that his eyes had adjusted.

"I recommended Agent Todd for the Medal of Honor." Morrow added.

"Thank you sir, but who's your replacement?" Gibbs asked as he looked at his boss.

"Hello Jethro." A small sweet voice said as a woman in front of them turned and stood up to face Jethro.

Jenny Shepard was back, and Jethro had just lost Kate. The sound of her voice hit him like a ton of bricks. This was the last thing he needed right now...to deal with all of those old emotions...to remember the long nights in Paris and Pasitano, when all he wanted was to go home to Kate and spend one more night with her.

"If you'll excuse me." Jethro said as he stood up awkwardly and headed out. He took the roundabout way, not wanting to see his team, content with the misery that was eating away at him.

He drove to the flower shop, but then circled the block twice. He knew it was nuts. It was pouring rain in DC, and Jethro was convinced the sky was crying for Kate. Jethro parked two blocks away and walked slowly in the downpour, hoping to wash away his memories.

Ari hadn't killed her. He had wanted to kill her, but some freak had done it for them. Now he was dripping wet, standing in line in the floral shop as the clerk patiently wrapped a dozen red roses in pink tissue paper.

Jethro headed back out, the tissue paper soggy from the rain as he got into his car and sped off. For a moment he swore Kate was next to him.

"Why did I die?" Her voice ran through his mind...and he couldn't bear it. He forced himself to glance in the rearview mirror where he was assaulted by two more voices.

"Why Jethro? Why?" Shannon's voice asked.

"Daddy...couldn't you save me?" Kelly's sweet voice haunted him.

Jethro sped faster, knowing that it was all in his head. It was mind over matter. He would never forgive himself, for any of their deaths...it would eat away at him until the end of his life.

Jethro parked the car and headed to what remained of the now charred house. He looked at the small plot of land, secluded in a wooded area. Nobody was around, probably because of the rain. At the edge of the property were neatly arranged flowers and stuffed animals. Jethro shook his head...fourteen victims in all. It was disgusting.

"What a romantic gesture." Ari's voice rang out through the rain, as he stared back at Jethro.

"What are you doing here you bastard?" Gibbs growled as he reached for his weapon, securely holstered at his hip.

"You need to die Jethro....it is your time." Ari said as he pointed a gun at Gibbs.

"Why Ari? What is this all about? Kate's gone. You can't have her, I can't have her...she's gone." Gibbs was frustrated at his own words, the finality of Kate really being gone was almost too much to bear.

"You've killed so many people...and now it is your time." Ari said as he stared at Gibbs.

Gibbs saw one finger move slowly to the trigger, and he was paralyzed with fear. There was no way now...he couldn't get to his weapon in time...this was the end.

Before he could think of anything besides death, Ari crumpled to the ground, and Jethro fell to his knees in relief, dropping the flowers he had brought for Kate. Jethro rushed over to Ari, who was most certainly deceased.

From the far corner of his eye Jethro could see a dark haired woman emerge from some shrubs, she was chanting something, either in Hebrew or Arabic. Jethro wasn't really sure.

The woman stopped chanting and extended her hand.

"I am Ziva David. Now get me the hell out of here." She said as Jethro looked at her strangely, and shook her hand...she had just saved his life after all, and she was a complete stranger.


	14. Private Jets and Surprises

"I suggest you all get some rest. Agent Todd's funeral is tomorrow in Indiana. Sec Nav has given us the use of his personal jet for the day." Director Shepard stared at a half-dozen sad faces.

"I have work to do." Ducky grumbled. He wanted to get Ari's autopsy done and over with.

"Just go home...it will be fine." Director Shepard reassured Ducky as he turned away and headed for autopsy anyway.

"Jethro...get some rest please, you look awful." Jenny said as Jethro passed her.

"This isn't what I meant by rest." Jenny said as she made her way down the basement steps hours later.

"Ziva David and I worked together in Cairo, she's Mossad. Ari is her half-brother." Jenny explained.

Jethro continued to sand his boat, and for the most part he ignored his new boss and former lover.

"It wasn't supposed to go down like this." Jethro said as he flung a piece of sand paper in anger.

"You can't win them all Jethro. I hate to say it but in our line of work people die. It's part of the job." Jenny hated losing agents, but she had to be practical about it.

"Get out of my house." Jethro grumbled, not even glancing at Jenny.

She obliged him, knowing his volatility all too well and retreated upstairs and back out to her car.

"A private jet..." McGee said in awe as team Gibbs boarded the plane the next morning.

"I just wish this luxury came with different circumstances." Director Shepard mumbled.

"Agreed." Ducky confirmed as he sank into a white-leather sofa.

"Abby you're so quiet..." Ducky remarked halfway through the trip.

"Of course I'm quiet...my best friend is dead." Abby grumbled.

A collective silence fell over the group. This was it...Kate really was gone.

A chiming noise broke the silence.

"What was that?" McGee asked.

A small door to the rear of the plane opened.

Everybody was expecting the flight attendant, instead they all got the shock of their lives.

Abby was the first to speak.

"Kate? Is that really you?" Abby stood up and made her way towards Kate.

Kate nodded slowly and sat down next to Jethro, and immediately reached for his hand.

Jethro smiled as he held Kate's hand tightly.

"No way...I saw a movie like this one time...." Tony trailed off as he looked up at Kate.

"Could you...elaborate?" McGee finally said.

"Sure." Kate said as she smiled at her shocked co-workers.

"Ari kept threatening me, harassing us, and he wanted me dead. We had confirmation from Mossad and the FBI that he was no longer a mole for them, he had turned into a terrorist, instead of an informant. It was taking too long for him to make his next move, so we made it for him." Kate explained.

"We?" Jenny Shepard asked with an arched eyebrow, even though she knew the full story.

"Oh...yeah...there's only a few people that knew about this. Me, Ducky, Fornell, Sec Nav, Director Morrow and of course Gibbs and now Director Shepard. But it was all Jethro's idea. See he got a hold of Fornell and asked him for help. They knew they were going to catch that serial killer soon, it was only a matter of time. So one night Gibbs and I set it up. He and Fornell kidnapped me from my bedroom." Kate explained.

"What! I was set up?!" Tony was horrified at the thought.

"Relax DiNozzo." Gibbs grumbled.

Kate caught her breath and continued.

"So we trapped Ari. I stayed out sight for awhile, then they announced my death all over the news and papers. Ari went to the scene of the fire, and we knew he was going to try and kill Jethro, so we were smart enough not to let it happen." Kate added.

"And Ari dies instead." Jenny elaborated.

"Exactly. It worked out perfectly. Now I only have one problem." Kate said wistfully as she brushed her bangs off her forehead.

"What's that?" Abby asked.

"I have to tell my family somehow." Kate said as she looked at her friends, hoping they'd support her.

"And since we're already on the plane how about if you guys go with me...you know for moral support?" Kate suggested.

Hesitantly everyone agreed, they were still getting used to the fact that Kate was alive, sitting in front of them in a chic pinstriped pantsuit, her hair elegantly curled, holding Jethro's hand, and explaining her situation.

"That's why it took you so long to get there!" Tony said as he looked at Gibbs.

"What?" Ducky asked in confusion.

"The night Kate was kidnapped I called Gibbs first thing. He said he'd be right over, but it took him awhile...that's because he and Fornell broke into Kate's apartment.

"Actually, Gibbs broke in, drugged me, and Fornell drove the getaway car." Kate explained.

"Whatever. It makes sense now." Tony said as he reclined in his seat.

"I dropped Kate off, then came back to you." Gibbs explained.

"And that's why you wouldn't let me near any of the evidence!" Abby exclaimed as she pointed at Ducky.

"Oh dear." Ducky said, knowing Abby would feel slighted.

"You knew I'd figure it out....especially when the DNA didn't match." Abby narrowed her eyes at Ducky.

"Abby...I'm so sorry. I never thought I'd hide anything from somebody because they are too good at their job." Ducky looked concerned as he said it.

"It's okay! We have our Kate!" Abby exclaimed as she leapt off the sofa and jumped on Kate to hug her.

"So the charred body in autopsy?" McGee asked curiously.

"One of the victims. The county coroner who would normally have jurisdiction agreed to hand her over because I convinced him it was Kate. It was the only body burnt beyond recognition." Ducky said.

"Okay, now that we've settled that...I have to tell my parents...any suggestions?" Kate said as she bit her lower lip and looked up at her friends and co-workers.


	15. Telling

**Author's Note:** I don't own anything! Thanks for all the kind reviews on the past chapters, and I apologize for the wait between updates...it seems I have either no time to write, or all the time in the world to write. This chapter is rather fluffy, especially towards the end. It is lengthy, but I felt like I couldnt' skimp on details. As always, enjoy the story!

It was decidedly unlike them...a collective silence had fallen over Team Gibbs once Kate had asked for suggestions.

"Come on guys...it can't be that tough..." Kate finally whispered as she clutched Jethro's hand tightly.

"Jenny..." Jethro tapped Director Shepard's shoulder as he whispered her name.

"Yes...Jethro?" The Director replied as she arched an eyebrow and looked up at Gibbs.

Abby, Tony and McGee all exchanged knowing glances. The rumors had been true. Only a select few people could call Gibbs "Jethro" and get away with it.

"Is there anywhere private where Kate and I can talk?" Gibbs asked.

"Just the bathroom." Jenny replied. She knew the aircraft rather well, and although the cabin space was luxurious, there was no separate bedroom or sitting room.

"Fine." Gibbs grumbled as Kate stood up and followed him to the bathroom.

"Remind you of anything?" Kate asked with a giggle once they were locked inside. Kate glanced around. It was still small, but it was huge by airplane bathroom standards.

"Air Force One." Gibbs chuckled as he looked at Kate.

"I....I...Gibbs, I don't know what to say, or do. How am I going to tell my parents what really happened? I can't believe I've caused them this much heartache." Kate reached out and grasped Jethro's hand, needing some familiar comfort.

"Katie, listen to me." Jethro said as he pulled Kate close to him, wrapping her in a tight embrace.

"What?" Kate whispered as she wrapped her hands around Jethro's shoulders, just glad to have him back after so much time apart.

"I think maybe I should talk to your parents first. I don't know them very well, but I mean at least I know them. I can talk to them, explain what really happened, then let them see you. What do you think?" Jethro suggested.

"I'm not so sure." Kate whispered as she bit her lower lip, fighting back tears.

"Katie, are you okay?" Jethro whispered as he pushed Kate's hair away from her face.

"I just...I'm really nervous and anxious. I haven't been myself since this whole thing started....Oh Jethro!" Kate cried softly as she hugged Jethro tightly, trying to think of what to do next.

"Kate...listen it's going to be okay. I'll talk to your mom and dad for you. They're going to be so happy to see you, they won't be mad or anything." Jethro said reassuringly as he kissed Kate on the cheek, and wiped her tears away.

"I don't know about that..." Kate hiccuped as she forced herself to stop crying.

"Trust me...they won't be mad." Jethro replied.

"It's not that..." Kate trailed off, and broke her embrace with Gibbs, ashamed of what she was about to say.

"What then honey?" Jethro pressed, wanting only to comfort Kate.

"I don't really think they'd take you seriously." Kate said in a barely audible whisper.

"Why is that?" Jethro countered, trying not to be overly defensive.

Kate was trying to think of the polite way to say it. Her parents knew that she and Gibbs were dating. Neither of them had voiced disapproval, but beyond helping with the case, and Ari's death they had yet to acknowledge the relationship. Kate knew that their silence spoke volumes. They weren't thrilled with her choosing Gibbs. In their eyes it probably seemed like there was more wrong with him than right. Divorced three times, incredibly stubborn, older than Kate by at least a decade, and on top of all that he was her boss. Damn Tony for gossiping with her mother in the hospital.

"Kate...Earth to Katie." Jethro teased as he snapped his fingers.

Kate's attention was re-directed at Jethro. She couldn't help but notice how he looked standing there, in a suit and tie, so handsome, so distinguished and so sure of himself. She looked at his piercing blue eyes, regretting what she had to say to him.

"I...ummm...it's just that you don't really have much in common with them." Kate mumbled it, hoping it wouldn't sound like an insult, when he was trying so hard to help her.

"I highly doubt that." Jethro countered, the bite in his voice evident.

"Honey...I didn't mean it like that it's just that..." Kate was cut off when Jethro placed a gentle finger to his lips to silence Kate.

"I have more in common with your parents than you think." Jethro said in a low voice, pulling Kate back to him.

"How so?" Kate wondered aloud. Jethro wasn't Catholic, he didn't have five children, or live a quiet life in the Midwest. The idea that he could identify with her parents was absurd at best.

"We all know what it's like to lose a child." Jethro whispered as he looked into Kate's deep brown eyes, waiting for a reaction.

Kate froze momentarily, trying to process what had just been said. She had no clue. A lot made sense now. The faraway gazes, the night she had been so worried about her family, and telling him he'd never understand...the two rooms in his house he never used, with the doors always locked, the photo of the redhead she had found in a book.

"You daydream about it a lot don't you?" Kate said knowingly.

She'd seen the way he'd look at younger children when they were working a case. How their lives had been turned upside down by the actions of an irresponsible adult. He had always been so good with children, and now it all made sense.

"Every day of my life." Jethro replied as he forced himself not to cry.

"And her mother?" Kate asked dryly, knowing the woman in the picture she had found months ago had to be an ex-wife.

"You got divorced right? Couldn't handle the stress?" Kate guessed. She had heard about it while she was studying psychology. Sometimes when parents lost a child it brought them together, made them closer, made the relationship stronger. Other times, the family fell apart, unsure of how to cope with the stress and grief.

"No." The word fell from Jethro's mouth derisively as he looked at Kate again, knowing she already knew more than she was letting on.

"No...Jethro...oh no...I'm so....I'm so sorry you had to live through that...what happened?" Kate asked aghast, as she put the pieces together.

"I was overseas, during the Gulf War. My first wife...my true love...Shannon, she witnessed a murder. Two months later Shannon and our daughter Kelly were murdered. The NCIS agent driving the car was shot in the head, and Kelly and Shannon died in the resulting crash. Kelly was only eight. The drug dealer that ordered the hit didn't want Shannon to testify." Jethro stopped before he started crying.

"After my accident...when I stayed at your house...I found a picture in a book. It was of a woman in a cap and gown...I figured it was an ex-wife, I put the book and picture back, and never said anything. I guess now I know." Kate said softly, her mind still reeling from the shock.

"Les Miserables?" Jethro questioned already knowing the answer.

Kate nodded.

"She loved that book it was her favorite. We went on vacation and she found a copy in an old bookstore. It was one of the things I couldn't bear to get rid of. That and her graduation photo. She was the first woman in her family to go to college. Everyone was so proud of her." Gibbs explained.

"Jethro...I'm really sorry you had to live through that." Kate replied, unsure of what to say.

"Don't be sorry, you didn't do anything." Gibbs whispered as he ran a hand through Kate's hair and held her tightly.

"And the people that did this?" Kate was hoping they were in jail.

Jethro pulled away from Kate slightly, tense at the question.

Kate looked up at Gibbs, and realized what was going on.

"You...you didn't...did you?" Kate whispered.

Jethro wouldn't reply.

"I'm proud of you." Kate whispered in his ear.

"I would have done the same thing." Kate knew exactly what Jethro's stony silence meant. He had taken matters into his own very capable hands.

"Kate...don't tell anybody. The team doesn't know. Not even Ducky. I hate talking about it. I know I should at least tell Ducky, he's the closest thing I've got to a best friend...but after all this time I wouldn't even know what to say...and I mean it's really pointless...how would the conversation start?" Gibbs let out a huge sigh as Kate smiled at him.

"You must be nervous. I've never heard you ramble before." Kate chuckled as she looked up at Gibbs.

"Kate?" Jethro said as he looked at Kate.

"Yes Jethro?" Kate replied.

"I love you." Jethro smiled as he said it, and then leaned in to kiss Kate.

It was slow, passionate and sweet all at once. It felt so good to kiss her after all the time they had spent apart.

A knock on the bathroom door interrupted their kiss.

"Yeah." Gibbs growled, angry at the interruption.

"The pilot wants us to get ready for landing." McGee said as he cleared his throat.

"We'll be right out." Kate replied.

Reluctantly Kate and Gibbs left the sanctuary of the small bathroom and sat back down.

"So...how are we going to handle this?" Jenny asked as she stared at Gibbs.

"Let me do all the talking...then we'll bring Kate in." Jethro explained.

"Wow...don't let me get used to this." Kate said as the team exited the plane and two cars waited to take them to the funeral home.

"A car...waiting for us? Can it be?" Tony teased.

"Usually we have to go rent one all on our own." McGee added.

"Try having to buy your own ammo." Jenny growled.

The younger agents immediately shut up, knowing that NCIS had come a long way.

"Keep her in the car." Gibbs directed as he walked into the funeral parlor.

"Mr. and Mrs. Todd." Gibbs said it as he cleared his throat, and he noticed that for the first time in years he was nervous. He noticed a few familiar faces, Kate's brothers and her sister.

"Agent Gibbs." Kate's father said plainly.

"Please...call me Jethro." Gibbs whispered.

"We didn't think you'd be here so early. We're just going over some final arrangements." Kate's mother explained.

"I understand, and I know you're both busy, and you have a lot on your mind, but could you come with me for a moment?" Gibbs asked quietly.

Kate's father only nodded as Gibbs led them to a private sitting room. Gibbs closed the door.

"Please sit." Gibbs said as he pointed to a couch.

Gibbs noticed the limp Kate's father now had as he walked over to the couch, and held his wife's hand tightly as they sat.

"I have to apologize...I don't do this much." Gibbs began, he hated apologies but he wasn't sure how to start the conversation.

"Funerals really aren't our thing either." Kate's mom replied as she dabbed her eyes with a tissue.

"No, not that." Gibbs replied.

"Well what then?" Kate's father asked.

"It's not very often that I get to share classified information with people outside NCIS." Gibbs drew a heavy breath as he said it, knowing he had lot to explain.

"Kate wanted me to do this, she wanted me to be here, to tell you..." Gibbs took another uneasy breath as he looked up at Kate's parents.

"Tell us what?" Katherine Todd pressed.

"Kate...she's alive...." Gibbs paused for a second waiting for a reaction.

"What? Are you sure? The FBI, their forensics person called and said the DNA was a sure match...our Katie she's gone!" Kate's mother burst into tears as she said it.

"Mrs. Todd, that's why I'm here. Ari...the man who held you two hostage, he wanted to kill Kate. NCIS helped her fake her kidnapping and death. We kept her hidden for eight weeks until Ari was dead. We had to do it for her own good." Gibbs explained.

"No...no...this is like a bad movie or something..." Kate's father trailed off as he hugged his wife, confused and distraught.

"Listen, by faking Kate's death we were able to get to Ari, and save Kate. We had to keep it going until we knew for sure Ari was dead. I am so sorry for the grief we've caused. I know firsthand how awful the past week has been for you two." Gibbs said it as he forced back tears and tried not to think of Kelly.

Anger flashed in Katherine Todd's eyes.

"You know nothing about what we've endured. Bring me my Katie and get the hell out of our lives." Katherine Todd's voice was cold and direct as she said it.

"My first wife and daughter were murdered. My daughter was eight years old." Gibbs said in a low voice as he turned to leave.

"Agent Gibbs!" Katherine yelled out as Gibbs exited the small sitting room.

"Yes?" Gibbs said as he turned around.

"I'm sorry." Kate's mother said quietly, humbled by the revelation of Jethro's past.

"I'm going to bring you your Katie." Jethro replied.

"Please!" Kate's father added as Jethro disappeared.

"Bring her in." Gibbs said as he opened the car door and Kate stepped out.

"You'll be fine. They want to see you." Gibbs smiled his crooked grin at Kate, and he noticed for the first time just how worried and sick she looked.

Kate walked past the room where her brothers and sister sat, waiting for fellow mourners to arrive, and right into the sitting room where her parents waited.

"Katie!" Her mother and father screamed in unison, thrilled to have their daughter back.

"Mom! Dad!" Kate replied as she flung her arms around her parents, hugging them tightly.

"It's really you!" Katherine sobbed as she hugged her daughter.

"Bring the family in." Gibbs whispered to Tony and McGee.

"What? You're kidding...Oh my God Kate!" Kate had barely processed the fact that she was actually hugging her parent's when Sasha's dramatic entrance added to the chaos.

In less than a second the group hug between Kate and her parents turned into a full-tilt pile of people as her brothers and sister added themselves to the hug.

There were shouts, and unfinished sentences as all of Kate's siblings reacted with joy at her presence.

"Okay, give me some air!" Kate exclaimed, the hugs and kisses had suddenly become overwhelming.

"Let me just say that I didn't mean to hurt anybody...I can't imagine what the past few days have been like. When NCIS first suggested this, I almost didn't do it, but I quickly realized the only alternative would have been death. Ari would have killed me eventually. I'm sure of it. I'm sorry I had to do this, but I hope you all understand." Kate had tears streaming down her face as she explained herself and apologized to her family.

"Oh Katie! We love you! We're just glad you're here!" Kate's brother Charlie said as he reached out to hug his sister.

"If Kate's here....then who is in that casket?" Sasha wondered aloud.

"Honey...nobody, it's a closed casket because of the fire." Kate's father explained.

"No...dad there is somebody in there, but we need her back. She's a Jane Doe."

"Not if I can help it..." Abby chimed in as she stood in the doorway with her arms folded, McGee, Tony, Ducky and Jenny all right behind her.

"How do we ummm...explain this?" Kate said as she looked up at the Funeral Director.

"Well, you can let me do the talking...or you can tell them yourselves." The older man explained.

"I think I owe everybody an explanation." Kate said with a heavy breath as she looked at her parents anxiously.

"It's okay Katie...we'll help you. I just think everybody will be glad to see you...alive." Kate's father reached out and hugged his daughter.

"Kate...if you need me to do the talking...I will." Jethro whispered as he stood behind Kate.

"I'm...fine." Kate hiccuped and forced back tears.

The next half-hour passed quickly and Kate dreaded walking into what most people thought was her funeral.

"It's time." The Funeral Director whispered as Kate and her parents entered the the room where mourners had gathered.

A collective silence and shock fell over the mourners. Kate looked into a sea of relatives, friends and co-workers all dressed in black. Their faces were worn with grief, and many were crying.

"Hello everybody." Kate stumbled over the words, they seemed so insignificant and she was unsure of what to say.

"I...I...have a lot of explaining to do and it will only take a minute." Kate looked up nervously and saw some of the worried faces slowly soften with relief.

"Many of you know that my work is rather dangerous. When I worked for the Secret Service I was trained to take a bullet to protect others. I never thought that when I transferred to NCIS I would eventually be in more danger than my former job. I started working a case that led to my parents being held hostage, and my father being shot. In order to protect myself and everyone I love, I had to pretend to die. I knew eventually that I'd be able to come back and set things straight, but not before causing all kinds of pain and sorrow...and for that I'm really, really sorry...if anybody here hates me I totally understand." Kate finished speaking and gripped her mother's hand tightly.

The crowd began whispering among themselves, and finally a cheering and happy shout the echoed off the walls of the funeral parlor.

Later that afternoon Kate sat contentedly in the funeral parlor, having said good-bye to the last guest. Extended family, close friends, friends of her parents and many co-workers had stayed to talk to her afterwards.

"That's a relief." Kate said as Abby sat down next to her best friend.

"Now you can really get on with your life." Abby said as she smiled at Kate.

"Yeah, and nobody hates me...that's a big plus." Kate said as she smiled back at Abby.

Kate felt a light tap on her shoulder and turned around to see Jenny standing behind her.

"Yes Director?" Kate said politely.

"Can we have a word...alone?" Jenny said as she glanced at Abby, who as if on cue got up and headed over to Tony and McGee who were busy talking with Kate's brothers.

"Kate...I need to talk to you." Jenny said as she looked at Kate seriously.

"Are you firing me?" Kate asked with concern.

"Oh no! Nothing like that!" Jenny exclaimed.

"Good because I'm running out of Federal Agencies to work for." Kate joked.

"No, I just wanted to let you know, the team we have to fly back tonight, but I already talked to Jethro. I knew he'd object and he said you would too, but I'm giving both of you two weeks off. It's non-negotiable, in fact if either of you set foot in NCIS within the next fourteen days...you _will_ be fired." Jenny explained, as she smiled at Kate.

"Director Shepard, you didn't have to do that, but that's really nice. Thank-you." Kate said politely as she looked around for Jethro, who was nowhere to be found.

"He's with your parents, and your brothers and sister." Jenny whispered as she walked by to round up Team Gibbs.

Kate couldn't help but wonder why Jethro was alone with her parents, and siblings but as she caught sight of Abby waving good-bye to her, she decided she'd rather not know.

"I'll see you guys in two weeks!" Kate said happily as Team Gibbs wrapped Kate in a group hug.

"Kate?" Tony asked as they were all heading out the door.

"Yeah?" Kate replied.

"Where did you stay when you were umm...you know...gone?" Tony asked.

"Yeah...good question Tony." McGee added.

Kate looked at Jenny and raised her eyebrows. Jenny pursed her lips and looked back at Kate.

"It's all over now...you might as well tell them." Jenny replied.

"Sec Nav's house." Kate said quietly as her eyes averted Tony's.

"Wow! That's freakin' awesome! What's it like? Does he have servants? How big is it?" Tony pressed.

"One word." Kate said as she looked back at Tony, grinning.

"Only one word?" Abby said in awe.

"Palatial." Kate said simply as she looked at Jenny.

Jenny and Kate shared a knowing glance and like a true leader Jenny rounded up the team and headed out to the car that was waiting for them.

Kate stood alone in the now empty viewing room, well it was empty except for the closed casket at the front of the room.

It was awkward, but Kate felt oddly drawn to the presence in the room. Kate approached the casket and rested a gentle hand on the lid.

"Thank-you, for being my stand in...I'm sorry this had to happen to you after all, but don't worry you won't be a Jane Doe for long. My friend Abby, she's going to see to it that you go home, to your family where you really belong." Kate whispered it as she stood next to the casket. It seemed so odd, to be talking to the closed casket of a person she had never met, but she was eternally grateful to this Jane Doe, who had been Kate's ticket to safety.

"Kate, honey...ready to go?" Jethro's quiet voice asked from somewhere in the distance.

Kate looked up to see Jethro standing in the doorway between the sitting room and the viewing room.

Kate only nodded as she walked away.

"Come here." Jethro said as he wrapped Kate in a tight hug.

"It's so good to have you back." Jethro said as he kissed Kate on the cheek.

"Let's go to your mom and dad's." Jethro murmured as he led Kate out to the parking lot.

"So what's going on?" Kate asked with a smile as she got in the car.

"We're all going back to the house, just for tonight." Kate's father explained as they drove back to Kate's parents.

"I thought you'd want to spend some time with them." Jethro whispered as he reached for Kate's hand.

Kate only nodded.

It was a full night, Kate's entire family at her parent's house, swapping stories about childhood, eating pizza and drinking beer. Well after midnight everyone had left, and Kate realized she had nothing to change into.

"Here you are dear." Kate's mother said as she handed Kate a nightgown.

Kate stared at the oversize, knee-length garment trimmed in lace, and printed with blue flowers.

"I know...it's a granny gown, but it's just for one night." Kate's mom said with a smile.

"Thanks mom." Kate said as she changed quickly and headed back downstairs to say goodnight to Jethro.

"Night honey." Kate said as she smiled at Jethro and kissed him on the cheek. Gibbs was busy helping Kate's father clean up.

"See you in the morning." Jethro whispered back.

Kate grimaced as she headed back upstairs, it was her first night back in the real world, and Gibbs would be forced to sleep on the couch in the living room while Kate headed to the guestroom. Kate tossed and turned, and waited to fall asleep but it was no use, she'd never sleep without him next to her. The past eight weeks had been torture without him, but she had reached a point of exhaustion where sleep came mercifuly, now that would be impossible knowing that he was only downstairs. At three-thirty a frustrated Kate decided that it was pointless, and she tiptoed downstairs, expecting to find Gibbs asleep, instead he was wide awake with the TV on.

"You hate television." Kate said as she sat next to him on the couch.

"Can't sleep." Jethro replied.

"And no boat to sand...what's a guy to do?" Kate teased as she snuggled up to Jethro.

"Cuddle with the prettiest girl in Indiana." Jethro replied as he placed a kiss on Kate's lips.

"It's so good to have you back." Kate whispered as she wrapped her arms around Jethro's shoulders, and kissed him again.

"I can't believe this!" Kate hissed in a loud whisper, biting back a giggle.

"Like you haven't done it before!" Jethro teased.

"I haven't actually. Making out on my parents couch was impossible when I brought boys home." Kate replied.

"How so?" Gibbs asked, genuinely intrigued.

"They paid Sasha fifteen bucks to sit on the middle cushion and not move all night." Kate replied as she blushed, remembering how embarassing it was to have her little sister chaperone her dates.

"That's rough." Gibbs replied as he leaned in to kiss Kate yet again.

"Hey Jethro...I have an idea!" Kate said happily as she looked out the window.

"What?" Jethro asked as he stood up and stretched.

"Follow me." Kate said as she grabbed a blanket and headed out to the porch swing.

"I want to see the sunrise for the first time in months." Kate explained as she covered herself with the blanket and began gently rocking on the swing.

"It must have been hard." Jethro finally said as Kate admired the sky turning all shades of bright orange and yellow as the sun began to rise.

"It was. Not going anywhere, not using the phone. They did the best they could though. I read a lot of books, and I watched way too much TV." Kate explained.

"Stifling, no doubt." Jethro said knowingly.

Kate nodded, for eight weeks she hadn't even been allowed to set foot outside of SecNav's house. Fornell and SecNav had done their best though, bringing Kate any book, movie, or food she wanted. It was hard not seeing Jethro, but several unnanounced and random visits to SecNav at his residence would not have gone unnoticed.

"Kept me alive." Kate said dreamily.

"That it did." Jethro added.

"Hey kids...what's going on?" Kate's father asked as he made his way onto the porch to retrieve the morning newspaper.

"Enjoying daylight for teh first time in months." Kate explained.

"Good." Kate's dad said proudly as he headed back into the house.

Three days later Kate flopped down onto her own bed in her apartment. The window had been fixed, and her clothes had been put away. There were no signs of a struggle.

"Thanks honey." Kate whispered as Jethro crawled into bed next to her.

"For what?" Gibbs asked with his trademark smirk.

"Everything. Kidnapping me, fixing the window, talking to my parents...saving my life...you know all the small stuff." Kate grinned as she said it.

"No problem, anytime." Gibbs teased as he reached for Kate and wrapped her up in his arms.

"It's good to be home." Kate added as she curled up next to Jethro.

"I bet..." Jethro replied. He too, had been anxious to return to Kate's. Her parents were very nice and gracious, but attempting to sleep on the couch was getting old, and he longed for some private time with Kate.

"Jethro..." Kate whispered it so softly Gibbs could barely hear her.

"Yeah?" Gibbs replied.

"You wanna...you know?" Kate asked with a wicked smile.

"You betcha." Gibbs smiled back as he leaned in to kiss Kate.


	16. Questions and Cuddles

**Author's Note:** I still don't own it! Here's the next update...it's short because in every story I write I always add one chapter that is less than a page long!

Kate Todd rolled over in bed and almost broke her nose on Jethro's shoulder. It was cold, imposing and in her way. The last thing Kate wanted to do was re-break her nose. Determined to change the situation Kate rolled Jethro from his side to his back and proceeded to crawl on top of him.

"Good morning." Jethro mumbled.

"Good morning my love." Kate cooed as she kissed Jethro.

"May I help you?" Jethro asked as Kate remained sprawled on top of him.

"Cuddle with me." Kate whimpered.

"Not a problem." Jethro grunted as he rolled over so Kate and him were both on their sides facing each other.

"You look like you want to ask me something." Jethro finally grumbled in the silence of Kate's bedroom.

Kate ran a hand through Jethro's silver hair. She had been wanting to ask him for days, and she hadn't found the courage.

"What was it like?" Kate finally asked.

"What?" Gibbs replied.

"Being a father." Kate clarified.

"It was the most amazing eight years of my life." Jethro said with a smile, and a painful sadness in his eyes.

Kate noticed the bittersweet mix of emotions instantly and decided not to press Jethro...this after all was only the beginning of their new life together. There would be time later on for questions, insights, stories, and plans for the future.


	17. Finale

**Author's Note: **I still don't own it, but wish I did! I stole the opening of this chapter from the Premier episode of Season Seven when Ziva returns to NCIS....thought it was fitting! Please enjoy! I had so much fun writing this story and for some reason I just felt like this was a good way to end things...thanks for all the nice reviews!

"You ready?" Kate asked as Jethro clasped his watch.

"Yep." Jethro replied as he smiled up at Kate.

"I think you've been ready since dawn." Jethro teased as he stood up and kissed Kate.

Kate giggled foolishly, they both knew it was true, but it didn't mean that Kate was eager to admit it.

"I can't wait to be back." Kate said as she looked back at Jethro.

"Workaholic." Gibbs teased as he walked past Kate.

"Kettle." Kate retorted as she exited the bedroom, referring to the old adage of the pot calling the kettle black.

"Whatever." Gibbs smiled at Kate as the pair made their way downstairs and out to Kate's new car.

"I liked that." Kate said as she reached for Jethro's hand that wasn't on the steering wheel.

"What?" Gibbs asked as they headed towards work.

"Staying here...with you at your place, several nights in a row. I enjoyed it." Kate smiled as she said it, happy to have shared much of her mandatory vacation with Jethro.

"I loved having you." Gibbs smiled back as he stopped at a red light.

"Really?" Kate was surprised at Jethro's sudden openness, but since everything had happened, since her disappearance, return and his confession about losing Shannon and Kelly things had changed between the couple, and it was for the better.

Jethro was more open now, verbally as well as with his physical affection. While the boundaries still existed neither of them went to great pains to hide the relationship in front of other team members.

"In fact...I was hoping just maybe you'd like to stay?" Jethro's offer came just as they entered the parking lot at NCIS.

"Yeah, sure another night? I've got plenty of clothes." Kate replied succinctly.

"No I meant permanently. Kate will you move in with me?" Jethro clarified as he put the car in park.

Kate leaned over and kissed Jethro passionately on the lips in response.

"I'll take that as a yes." Jethro grumbled as Kate smiled back and got out of the car.

They held hands the entire way, and Jethro could sense Kate's hesitation as the elevator doors opened up.

"It's going to be fine." Jethro whispered as he and Kate stepped out.

"I know." Kate whispered as she walked towards her desk, waiting for Tony to make some wise remark.

Instead Kate stopped for a second, slowed down by Jethro, and she looked around. Everybody in the bullpen was standing, and then the applause began.

It was sweet, Kate knew but a bit overwhelming. Even Director Shepard and Cynthia were on the steps applauding Kate's return.

Kate made her way to her desk, thanked everybody and sat down to begin her first regular day in over three months.

"Welcome back!" Team Gibbs was assembled in front of Kate's desk and they were all cheering for her while much of the office had returned to their regular work.

"Thanks!" Kate said as she was handed a dozen roses from Ducky.

"They're beautiful!" Kate exclaimed as she admired the flowers.

"We're so glad to have you back." Abby grinned as she hugged her best friend.

"It's good to be back." Kate smiled up at her co-workers.

*****TWO MONTHS LATER*****

"Well that's everything." Jethro said as he set one final box down on the living room floor. It was labeled "_Picture Frames._"

"Not exactly." Kate grinned wickedly as she sauntered over towards Jethro.

"What do you mean?" Gibbs asked with his smirk.

"I'm hoping you don't mind..." Kate trailed off as she looked up at Jethro, it was her first official night actually living with him and they both couldn't be more excited.

"There's something else..." Kate's smile softened into a more gentle, but content expression as she stared at Jethro's dazzling blue eyes.

"What would that be?" Jethro was pretty sure of the point Kate was trying to make but he just loved to hear her say it. Knowing that she wanted him, and needed him was a good feeling.

"I brought a roommate." Kate said as she waited for Jethro to catch on. His normally quick wit was replaced by a sluggishness Kate could only hope had diminished from a long day of moving furniture and boxes with Tony and McGee.

"But you don't have any pets." Gibbs said quietly.

"No I don't." Kate smiled up at Gibbs, desperate for him to catch on.

"We'll meet our new house mate in about eight months." Kate clarified.

Watching Jethro's expression go from stupefied to completely happy and awestruck was the greatest moment of Kate's life thus far.

"I can't wait." Jethro whispered as he pulled Kate closer and kissed her passionately.

**THE END**


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